Auxerre crushes Rennes, Le Havre crushes Montpellier

Two encounters and two catastrophic situations…

Rennes first where Julien Stéphan's days could well be numbered. With a squad designed to play at the top of the table, the results do not come. If the sad success against the HAC last week 1-0 had not reassured many people, at kick-off, Rennes was 12th (with its success against Reims, the TFC passed them in front).The reds and blacks had to take three points to get closer to the European places. But for several meetings, Abbé-Deschamps seems to be an impregnable wall.

After Brest (3-0), Reims (2-1), it is Rennes which tastes the mastery of the AJA in front of its audience. And what a performance for Christophe Pélissier’s men. From the start of the match, the opportunities flowed for the locals. Danes untenable for Auxerre (5th, 9th), before being surprised by a Rennais goal on a gross handball from Donovan Léon (11th). Finally after a call to VAR, the goal was disallowed for an offensive handball. An alert which shook the much more offensive Auxerre. If in the 22nd minute, Mandanda was saved by his post, five minutes later, Gaëtan Perrin logically opened the scoring for his team (27th). 12 minutes later, the AJA midfielder even scored a new pure attacking goal (39th) to score his first double in Ligue 1. At the break, without a solution Rennes was logically trailing 2-0.

In the second half, despite several offensive changes, the Bretons did not turn things around. Worse, they sank. Kalimuendo saw another goal denied and Mandanda took two more. One from the penalty spot by Lassine Sinayoko (65th). And another at the very end of the match from former Toulouse player Ado Onaiwu (90+2). With this success, Auxerre remains 14th but takes three important points in the fight for maintenance since two of its direct competitors Angers and Saint-Étienne have won.

Montpellier really can't do it anymore

In the other match, the MHSC traveled to the Stade Océane to face Le Havre in a match of fear. The locals remained on six consecutive defeats with one goal scored for every fifteen conceded. Montpellier is also not doing well with a change of coach and a private team of 11 players. Freely recruited this week, former Napoli defender Maksimovic started in the center of defense. The Serbian was also decisive at the start of the match, repelling several hot chances from the HAC (23rd).

The ranking did not lie about the level of play displayed, the meeting was marred by numerous technical errors. Despite their clear domination, the Ciel et Marine had difficulty being dangerous. Apart from a nice intervention from Lecomte (29th) and a ball skimming the post (38th), the supporters had little to enjoy during the first act.

And neither during the second one. The offensive weakness of the two teams was clearly felt. It was on a lucky penalty that the match was resolved. The unfortunate Falaye Sacko touches a ball with his hand on a cross. Involuntary but punishable (72nd). A penalty that captain Abdoulaye Touré easily transforms. Then the HAC held on behind to hold on to this very important result.

“It’s not good football but we wanted to take the three points, that’s the main thing”Le Havre defender Gautier Lloris rightly declared at the microphone of DAZN. “We have to use it as a starting point for the next matches”.

With the victories of several this weekend, this success comes at the right time for Le Havre, one point behind 15th (non-relegation) and above all with five points more than Montpellier, still good at last.