Rennes pushes to equalize but Lens holds firm!
Two more minutes left in regulation time.
Omari’s goal disallowed for offside (0-1)!
This time it is Majer who comes to the corner. Lens scrambles his clearing and in a second time, Meling gives six meters to Omari who deceives Samba. VAR confirms he was in an offside position.
Bourigeaud strike deflected by the wall!
At 25 meters, slightly shifted to the left, the Rennais saw his shot deflected by the wall but it was a tap from Samba that released the ball for a corner.
Kalimuendo gets an interesting free kick for the hosts
While Traoré is replaced by Spence for the last 10 minutes.
The Lensois striker gives up his place
Openda leaves and Saïd enters the lawn of Roazhon.
Majer throws himself to get another corner for Rennes
After an unsuccessful overflow attempt with Kalimuendo, the Croatian midfielder still gets a corner.
And Lens goes back on the attack
Through its Ivorian captain, Fofana, who projects himself forward for a while before stalling.
Center for Rennes 15 minutes from the end of regulation time
Played two, Majer shifted center but his delivery was hijacked by the Lensoise defense.
Medina wins ahead of Majer
And allows the Lensois to give themselves a little air in this highlight of Rennais.
Double change for Lens
With the entry of Claude-Maurice and Da Costa in place of Thomasson and Fulgini.
Meling rolls up a shot that goes way over the top
Well served by Majer after a recovery from Rennais near the penalty area, the Breton winger tried his luck but did not wrap his attempt enough to alert Brice Samba.
First shot on target for Bruno Genesio’s men
On an attempt by Kalimuendo, eccentric on the left side of the surface, but the Rennes striker saw his attempt being repelled with his foot by Samba.
Samba finds Fofana on the raise
Long pass from the Lensois goalkeeper to his captain but the latter fails to enter the opposing penalty area.
Dance stop Kalimuendo
And repels the danger. The Bretons press higher to recover the ball but for the moment they cannot find the fault.
Rennes has possession but stumbles on the Lensois defensive block
We feel the Sang et Or well in place. They have slowed down the pace but watch out for calls from Openda, which is making more runs behind the Rennes defence.
Yellow card for Thomasson!
Who grabs the Croatian Lovro Majer by the arm.
Harangue la foule critics
By picking up a ball in the Rennes half of the field. Lens plays to the back but immediately returns possession to the opponent.
Rennes very close to equalizing!
On this header from Theate which passes just to the right of Samba’s cage but the Rennes player was in an offside position anyway.
Triple change for Stade Rennais!
And certainly a change of system to come with the entry of Santamaria in place of defender Wooh.
Fofana completely misses his head!
While Openda had done the hardest part by overflowing on the right side! At the far post, Fulgini was unmarked and had the open goal in front of him, but it was the Lensois captain who came to cut Openda’s discount! His head passes well above the frame!
Rennais left for the warm-up
Bruno Genesio will soon be injecting new blood! In the meantime, Toko Ekambi overflows on the right side but his center is pushed back by the Lensoise defense.
Strike in first intention of Sotoca!
And the first shot on target of this second period is to be put on the Lensois counter with this volley from Sotoca at the entrance to the area, directly into Mandanda’s gloves.
Bad recovery for Lens
Who offers a recovery ball to Rennes in the opposing half of the field. But the Blood and Gold defense is opaque and lets nothing pass.
Lens kicks off the recovery!
Here we go again at Roazhon Park!
Rennes must “show another face”
“It’s a rather open match on both sides, a confessed the Lensois Sotoca midfielder, questioned at the microphone of the broadcaster at halftime. We suffered a little too much for my taste in the last 15 minutes. It’s up to us to always move forward.”
For Bourigeaud, the Rennais will have to “show another face in the second half, even if [ils] knew how to react at the end”.
Lens leads Rennes at the break (0-1)!
The Sangs et Or asphyxiated unrecognizable Rennes in the first half hour and logically opened the scoring with a header from Openda. The Bretons then picked up the pace but woke up too late to come back to score in the first act. In the standings, the Lensois temporarily occupy second place in Ligue 1 at the expense of Olympique de Marseille!
1 minute of added time
And Danso receives a yellow card for a foul on Doué in the center circle.
Opportunity for Rennes!
Theate hands it over to Bourigeaud who in turn crosses to Toko Ekambi. This one does not open his foot enough in the surface to worry Samba.
Successful exit of the Rennes goalkeeper
Who springs in front of Frankowski to clear in touch with the head. Solid.
Head of Openda which grazes the crossbar of Mandanda!
The Belgian had again won in the air against Meling but his recovery went just above the opposing goal!
Frankowski stands in front of Kalimuendo
Who tried to enter the surface. In a second time, it is Toko-Ekambi that we try to find but it is still too deep.
Bretons are better
More commitment and confidence for the men of Genesio who must react to stay in the race for Europe.
15th goal for Openda this season
And especially the 3rd in his last 6 games!
Rescue of Medina!
Rennes’ reaction didn’t keep them waiting, and the Bretons were very close to coming back to score without the Argentinian’s in-extremis save, which deflected Bourigeaud’s attempt on the crossbar! The corner that follows does nothing.
Openda opens the scoring for Lens (0-1)!
Served by a cross on the right side of Sotoca, the Belgian striker wins in the air and deceives Mandanda with a header that finds the left corner!
Free kick for Lens just outside the box
It’s Fulgini who sticks to it again, 20 meters on the left and Mandanda punches the ball at the far post to ward off the danger!
Yellow card for Doué!
For a very late tackle on Fofana.
The pace is down a notch at Roazhon Park
After a first quarter of an hour of madness, the teams temporize a little…
Mandanda wins ahead of Openda
The pass to the Belgian striker from Lens is too long and allows the Rennes goalkeeper to capture the ball without difficulty.
Low block of Rennes, Lens takes the initiative
The Bretons defend in their own half of the field but Medina still obtains a new corner for the Sang et Or, pushed back by the Rennes defense.
Less than one goal conceded per game
Best defense in Ligue 1, Lens has conceded only 21 goals since the start of the season, less than one goal per game (0.8). It is also 8 less than his opponent of the day.
The Bretons pose the game
They put their foot back on the ball but still lack technical accuracy like this too deep pass from Bourigeaud to Fofana.
Festival of Fofana
Launched in depth, the Lensois captain then adjusts a center low to the ground but does not find a taker. More than ever, the danger is felt for Stade Rennais, cornered in their half of the field.
Danso does it again! Lens presses in front of the goal!
On a free kick from 30 meters, Fulgini again finds the head of the Lensois defender whose recovery this time passes a few centimeters from the left upright of Mandanda!
Head of Danso at the far post which passes 1 meter from the frame!
On a new corner from Fulgini, this time on the right, the defender flies into the air to take the cross of the head but does not cross his attempt enough to alter Steve Mandanda.
Lensoise occasions
In difficulty in front of their goal, the Lensois however shot 4 times in the opposing cage and framed twice.
Corner for Lens! And second parade of Mandanda (0-0)!
Shot on the left side, Fulgini finds the header of the ghost Medina at the near post but the Rennes goalkeeper pulls out a reflex save!
Solid intervention by Danso in the Lens area
The central defender of the visitors clears behind the back of a Rennais and the referee gives possession to the Sang et Or, under pressure in front of their goal at the start of the match.
Mandanda’s first stop!
Who wins in front of Openda, launched in depth after a high recovery from the Lensois!
Free kick for the Blood and Gold
Doué fouls Frankowski on the left flank but the first set piece is safe for Mandanda.
First fright for Lens!
On a loss of ball from Samed near the surface, the locals shift the game to the left and try to find Kalimuendo in the surface who can resume in front of Samba.
Let’s go !
Rennes kicks off!
Players exit the tunnel into Roazhon Park on fire!
The Sang et Or won the toss but the Lensois captain, Fofana, left it to the Rennais to engage.
The eleven of Lens is also known
Medina is back, Openda is in charge
Samba – Gradit, Dance, Medina – Sotoca, Samed, Fofana, Frankowski – Thomasson, Openda, Fulgini.
The Rennes composition
Gouiri, Majer and Doku are on the bench
Mandanda – Omari, Wooh, Theate – Traore, Gift, Ugochukwu, Meling – Bourigeaud, Kalimuendo, Toko Camp.
Lens wants to find the queen competition
Eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France by Nantes at the start of the month, the Lensois have no other objective than qualification for the Champions League. Morale is high for the men of Franck Haise who remains in 5 games without defeatincluding three victories in Ligue 1.
Back to third ahead of Monaco, the Sang et Or want to return to European competition, more than twenty years after their last appearance, and could take advantage of Marseille’s draw (1-1 against Montpellier yesterday) to come back up to the Phocaeans.
Delicate schedule for Stade Rennais
“We have three difficult matches against Lens, Lyon (shift) and Reims which may not be decisive, but very impactful at the end of the season. It’s not a pivotal match but by winning, we could pick up a field of teams that can fight for the first 3-4 places, maybe create a gap for the pursuers”, summarized Rennes tactician Buno Genesio in a pre-match press conference. “We play for Europe, not for maintenance, it’s a positive pressure that we must use as a collective force,” added Norwegian international Birger Meling.
Génésio explains how he revived his team
After a difficult start to 2023, the Stade Rennais by Bruno Genesio managed to string together two league victories in a row – including the last at the Parc des Princes against Paris (0-2) – for the first time since October. This is due in particular to a questioning of the former OL coach and his staff.
Hello and welcome to this live Rennes-Lens
After two weeks of international break, Ligue 1 resumes its rights! With 10 days to go, Stade Rennais hosts RC Lens for the 29th day. Fifth in the standings with 50 points, Bruno Génésio’s team is seven points behind the blood and gold club, currently third.