Stade Rennais beat Olympique de Marseille 1-0 at Roazhon Park on Friday, moving to the top of the French Ligue 1 table as Marseille suffered a third consecutive league defeat.
Adrien Thomasson scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute, tapping home from close range after Moussa Al-Tamari squared the ball into the middle following a cross from Ludovic Blas on the left flank.
Rennes Turn the Game After the Break
Rennes had struggled for large parts of the first half but improved sharply after the restart, helped by the introduction of Al-Tamari at half-time in place of Soumaré, who had been below his best before the break. Al-Tamari set up Thomasson's winner and continued to cause problems for the Marseille defence throughout the second half.
Marseille went into the game having lost two of their previous three matches, while Rennes arrived unbeaten. The result extends Rennes' unbeaten start and puts Marseille under early pressure to respond before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in a week's time.
Marseille Wasteful Before the Break
Marseille had been the sharper side in the first half without finding a breakthrough. Igor Paixao and Timothy Weah were both denied by strong saves from Rennes goalkeeper Brice Samba, who kept his side in the game as Rennes struggled to get out of their own half.
Crossbar Denies Both Sides
Both teams hit the woodwork in the second half as the game opened up. Thomasson struck the crossbar in the 72nd minute after another driving run from Al-Tamari, and two minutes later Paixao also crashed an effort against the bar for Marseille after his shot was blocked by Rennes defender Rouault.
Rennes made changes as the match wore on, with Esteban Lepaul and Blas replaced by Szymanski and Dia in the 78th minute, and Al-Tamari withdrawn for Mayenda in the 86th minute. Marseille responded with a triple substitution in the 88th minute, bringing on Moubagna, Cornelius and Mmadi for Paixao, Gouiri and Aguerd. Marseille's Amine Harit was booked in the 85th minute for tripping Rennes' Camara to stop a counterattack.
Samba was called into action again in stoppage time, punching clear from a corner before comfortably catching a header from Cornelius as Rennes held on for the win. Weah was shown a yellow card in frustration in the closing minutes before the final whistle confirmed Rennes' victory.
What the Players Said
Samba, speaking to the broadcaster after the match, said the most important thing was finishing the night top of the table and keeping his first clean sheet of the season. He said Rennes had ambitions but needed to keep working hard every day, and added that anyone who doubted Marseille's quality only had to watch how they played under their coach to see they were a strong side.
Weah said Marseille had faced some difficulties and that he took responsibility for the defeat as a leader of the squad who was not playing at 100 percent. He said he could have done better on the goal, that the club's supporters deserved more from the team, and that Marseille needed to keep working and stay united as a group.
What Comes Next
Rennes sit top of Ligue 1 after four rounds of matches. Marseille, who face Besiktas before hosting Paris Saint-Germain, will be looking to arrest their slide after a third straight league defeat.
