After their elimination from the Europa League, Stade Rennais won the derby on the lawn of FC Nantes on the occasion of the 25th day of Ligue 1. A victory that comes at the right time for the teammates of Jérémy Doku, scorer this Sunday. Here are the tops of this part.
A great reaction from Rennes in a tight derby
It was a derby with a European flavor even though both teams were eliminated on Thursday night. In the stands and on the field, all the players were at the level offering a meeting of a good level. Rennes’ tears gave way to joy when Jérémy Doku opened the scoring. A deserved goal as the start of the game for Bruno Génésio’s players was under control. Then over the course of the match, the Rennais reduced this intensity, but despite the chances conceded, they remained solid offering very few dangerous situations to their opponents.
Jeremy Doku in all good moves
In the legs for several matches, Jérémy Doku finally found the net in Ligue 1. The Belgian was in all the good moves in Rennes this Sunday. Between his dribbling and his accelerations, he put the Nantes defense in difficulty many times. But his lack of lucidity prevented him from being decisive, probably because of his 120 minutes against Shakhtar Donetsk. After the hour mark, Bruno Génésio replaced him with Lesley Ugochukwu.
Imperial Steve Mandanda
The Rouge et Noir goalkeeper is one of the main architects of this victory. He was decisive on long shots like that of Jaouen Hajdma (11th), and on his line on a madjer from Ganago (33rd). A very good performance after a complicated penalty shootout in the Europa League. He was replaced by Djed Spence on a strike from Andy Delort at the penalty spot in the second half (62nd). But his aerial exits at the end of the meeting allowed his defense to breathe between the highlights of Nantes.
The end of a sad record for Stade Rennais
Thanks to his victory, but above all his clean sheet, Steve Mandanda erased an inglorious record for Rennes. For the first time since December 5, 2021 against Saint-Étienne (5–0), Stade Rennais did not concede a away goal in Ligue 1. Although anecdotal, this statistic is cause for hope for this end of the season when the Bretons will try to grab a qualifying place in the European Cup. Currently 5th with 46 points, Bruno Génésio’s men are 4 points from the podium while waiting for the end of this 25th day.
