A back-and-forth contest that included two penalties and late goals ended with a tight win for Rennes in a five-goal thriller. The win sees ‘Les Rouges et Noir’ temporarily jump into second place of Ligue 1, while Reims extend their winless run to three games.
From kick-off Rennes quickly established control and dominated possession of the match, but surprisingly, it would be Reims that created the best chances early on. Valon Berisha came close to breaking the deadlock in the 15th minute with a shot from the edge of the box that went slightly wide, and Nathaniel Mbuku also came close to scoring a few minutes later but Dogan Alemdar denied him with a great save. Despite the lack of chances they created early on, Rennes continued to dominate possession and they finally broke the deadlock in the 39th minute thanks to Benjamin Bourigeaud, as the playmaker nodded the ball home following a perfect cross from Gaetan Laborde. Bourigeaud then doubled his personal tally – and Rennes’ lead – just four minutes later, this time with a shot from inside the box after a perfect set-up from Hamari Traore, to build a solid two-goal advantage before HT.
After the break, Reims attempted to shake things up and made three substitutions in the 58th minute, but instead of making a positive impact, it would be Rennes who would add a third goal – this time it was Martin Terrier who found the back of the net after an impressive solo effort. In what was becoming a goal-fest, Reims pulled one back almost instantly, though, as Maxime Busi took advantage of a pinpoint cross to cut the visitors’ lead and spring hope of a comeback.
The hosts came close to another goal, but Moussa Doumbia failed to score a penalty in the 79th minute. However, Reims were given another chance when Adrien Truffert committed a handball and this time the home side took advantage of the chance when Jens Cajuste coolly converted from the spot to set up an exciting finish to the encounter.
Reims went all out on the attack, but despite multiple decent chances, failed to complete a comeback as the visitors held on for an impressive win, and temporarily moved up to second in the table – before Marseille’s game on Sunday.
