Stade Rennais won the Breton derby against FC Nantes this Sunday for the 7th day of Ligue 1 (3-1).
A derby is never a match like any other. Rennes and Nantes may have been swimming in troubled waters in recent weeks, but the picture of the ranking did not count in this tempting match, between two neighbors who have been completely opposed for several years. Plunged into the soft underbelly with the same number of points, the two Western teams approached this poster with a double objective: to assert a certain regional supremacy and to make a small jump in the ranking.
Rennes didn’t give up
Make no mistake, it was Stade Rennais who were the favorites at kick-off. To see this, it was enough to see the presence of Ludovic Blas, technical leader of Nantes a few months ago who had become an important player among others in Rennes. By its budget, the wealth of its workforce and its ambitions proclaimed loud and clear after a flashy recruitment, the formation of Bruno Genesio was expected at the turning point. Its European debut heralded a new dynamic. But it was still necessary to confirm this revival after having blown hot and cold for a long time in the championship. And in this balance of power, it is the Rennais who have the last word.
More realistic in the two zones of truth, Genesio’s men knew how to capitalize on their strong moments to avoid the trap set by their opponent. It only took a few minutes for Bourigeaud to break the deadlock with a penalty converted with authority (1-0, 4th). A first goal which stung the Canaries, who revolted before the break thanks to Chirivella, well served by Mollet for the equalizing goal (1-1, 45th).
But Rennes put their foot back on the accelerator in the second half, and at the start of the last quarter of an hour, Doué concluded a rapid attack brilliantly with a sudden strike which hit the mark (2-1, 73rd). The expulsion of Mohamed immediately (77th) made the end of the match easier for Rennes, who definitively sealed their success with a victorious shot from Kalimuendo in stoppage time (3-1, 90th+6). Now sixth at the bottom of the top 5, Rennes is capitalizing.
