Buts: Grønbæk (33e) and Assignon (90e+2)
A little breath.
Stade Rennes will not spend the holidays warm, but it took a breath of fresh air by winning at home against Angers (2-0). Suspended after his red received in Nantes last week, Jorge Sampaoli sent a few decibels behind the press box, where he had stood to follow a very low level match. The Rennais showed that they were absolutely not healed and they played with fear in their stomachs, while Amine Gouiri had to leave the pitch in the first quarter of an hour because of a knee problem. His replacement, Albert Grønbæk, was the one who found the key to unlocking the counter with a diving header from a well-worked cross by Ludovic Blas (1-0, 33e). A liberation? Not so much, the Rennes players celebrating without smiling and walking, as if something was wrong with their minds.
Three points, that's all
A little earlier, the public, which still came in large numbers to Roazhon Park (27,781 spectators) had started to show signs of impatience with a few whistles, seeing their protégés fleeing the game towards the front. The rare Breton attempts (Jordan James, Blas, Grønbæk, Kalimuendo) were not dangerous enough to destabilize Yahia Fofana and were not eclipsed by the Angevin offensives, even rarer, even if Ibrahima Niane sent his shot helmet above before the break and that Himad Abdelli did not find the target when entering the last quarter of an hour. The SCO park warmed up by lighting smoke bombs, maintaining the hope of seeing their team return. It didn't matter much at the end of the game, with Steve Mandanda repelling a mischievous free kick from Zinédine Ferhat and the Rennais turning their backs in the final minutes, without much control. And yet, relief finally arrived: a loss of ball from Abdelli recovered by Assignon, who spun on his own and saw his shot deflected into the cage by Lefort (2-0, 90e+2). Phew, Rennes remains 12e and leaves Angers four points behind (15e).
It doesn't take much to be happy this season in Rennes.
