Speaking following Toulouse’s great escape from relegation on the final day of Ligue 1 action tonight, manager Pascal Dupraz was visibly emotional speaking to BeIN Sports.
“Above all, the players with an exceptional mentality, truly exceptional. We have spent 2 and a half exceptional months together. I want to thank Dominique Arribagé, because with him, without the 22 points that he got, Toulouse would not have been able to stay up.”
Yann Bodiger, the young central midfielder who grabbed the last-gasp, dramatic winner, burst into tears when speaking to the same media outlet.
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“I just want to say that for all of my family, for all my friends, it is good, we are staying in Ligue 1, but they have always been there behind me, it has not always been easy. All of my friends from Sete, from Toulouse, I love them very much, I want to thank them. But I am talking about those who are not often here, I see my teammates everyday. Thanks to those who are close to me, my family… [The goal] could have come from anyone, it was the entire team that pushed me, it is Martin who scored, the entire team did the job in the last ten games, and with Dominique Arribagé before then. [The free-kick] was honestly nothing special.”
Étienne Didot, the experienced midfielder who as frozen out for much of the season by, Arribagé, played a central role for Toulouse following the appointment of Pascal Dupraz.
“I think it was an exceptional scenario. I have never played in a final in my career, but now I think I have. On the bench, we had given up hope a little bit. The coach said, don’t worry, of course we are going to do it. We are little bit beaten up (when Angers went back ahead), but he remained calm. We believed in him, and with Yann’s goal, you saw how emotional he was, what a fantastic moment. Everyone was fantastic. We have done it, it is incredible.”