It was heartbreak for Harlequins in the final four of the Champions Cup as Toulouse flexed their muscles to set up a final showdown with Leinster later this month.
The Gallagher Premiership side had hopes of upsetting the five-time winners on French soil, but were ultimately outperformed in an entertaining 38-26 defeat.
Quins did not roll over, launching a late fightback to just five points from 31-12 down; but they could not fully seize the deficit to the 2021 champions.
Leinster - who just held on to scrape a 20-17 victory against Northampton Saints on Saturday - now know that they will battle the most decorated side in tournament history.
Victory for Leo Cullen's side will see them go level with Toulouse by claiming the elusive fifth star, but it is sure to be a daunting challenge.
The Blues likely would have preferred to come up against Quins, whose fightback was partly undone by an error from veteran prop Joe Marler.
Joe Marler apologises for silly penalty in Harlequins' loss to Tououse
Marler was in the meat of the fixture when his side won a late penalty with just minutes on the clock, but he quickly let himself down with a moment of pure petulance.
The 33-year-old ended his side's hopes when taking a needless swipe out at Toulouse's Thomas Ramos after they had won a breakdown penalty.
Fans were quick to bemoan Marler's act, which saw that penalty overturned and ultimately extinguished any chance of a comeback from the English side.
Such a stupid penalty to concede.
Joe Marler. 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/Bwtyy5Mhnb— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) May 5, 2024
Marler - one of the sport's biggest personalities - took to Twitter to apologise for his loss of composure in a typically honest fashion.
"F***ed it. Sorry. @Harequins fans were huge. Boys were incredible."
Fucked it. Sorry 🙏🏻 @Harlequins fans were huge. Boys were incredible. Juvé 🃏 ❤️
— Joe Marler (@JoeMarler) May 5, 2024
The powerhouse forward appears to have won the sympathies of the club's supporters judging by the reaction to his post.
Quins, who will take confidence from their deep run in Europe this season, will turn their attentions back to the Premiership.
Toulouse meanwhile will have another final to look forward to when they meet Leinster in London on May 25.
