Phénix Toulouse lost 24:25 to Zélestat Alsace in the Starligue on Wednesday evening. The hosts had gone into the fixture unbeaten, drawing all three of their opening matches, but their run came to an end on this occasion. We had backed the home side to win at 60 percent confidence, but the match took a different turn and we were wrong.
Alas, there are no minute-by-minute details to work with for this handball fixture, so the narrative has to come from what we can piece together. Both sides have played three games now. Toulouse sit fifteenth with zero points from three draws, while Alsace occupy seventh place with four points from two victories and a draw.
Looking at the recent results, Toulouse's form has been frustratingly consistent. They lost 31:32 to Can on September 11th and 25:27 to Saran Loiret five days earlier. The only win in their last five matches came against Torrelavega 31:25 back in August. They have not found a way back into games when trailing, and that pattern continued on Wednesday.
Alsace's recent record tells a different story. They edged past Chambéry Savoie 33:32 on the same day Toulouse lost to Can. Before that they lost 32:34 to Provence Aix and 25:29 to Besançon, but those defeats were followed by a draw against Dunkerque and a win over Dijon. They have the deeper squad, and it showed in the final moments.
The scoreline suggests a close contest until the end. Toulouse had the home advantage and the momentum from their draw-heavy start, but Alsace found a way to break through when it mattered. The visitors' two wins in three games give them a clear advantage in the standings.
The result leaves Toulouse still without a victory after three rounds, while Alsace move further clear of the bottom half. The gap between them now stands at four points, with Alsace having played the same number of games. That is enough to keep the visitors in the upper reaches for now.
