Ligue 1 McDonald's, 15/12/24, round 15
Goals from Albert Grønbæk and Lorenz Assignon proved enough for the visitors to bounce back for their final Ligue 1 match of the year. Rennes climbed to 12th, while Angers remained at the deep end of the standings in 15th, having lost four of their last five games.
After losing last week's Brittany Derby against bitter rivals Nantes in the final minutes, Rennes hosted 15th-placed Angers SCO for their final Ligue 1 match of the year. Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli was forced to watch today's performance from the top TV pen after being shown a red card in the aftermath of Rennes' disallowed stoppage-time equalizer in La Beaujoire. His trusted deputy Diogo Meschine took his place in the dugout.
Wales international Jordan James, making his third Ligue 1 bounce, went just wide in the opening minutes with a curling effort from outside the penalty area before Rennes were forced into an early substitution, with the injured Amine Gouiri making way for Albert Grønbæk. The pace of the match slowed dramatically as the hosts made very little effort to get through the visitors. The latter were all too wasteful to break open Rennes' back three.
The home team finally broke the deadlock after half an hour. Right wing-back Lorenz Assignon carried the ball forward and found Ludovic Blas. The playmaker delivered a delicate left-footed cross for the unmarked Grønbæk to head home at the far post. All in all, it was a deserved lead for the hosts considering how poor Angers were.
In the second half, Rennes maintained control of proceedings, but their poor decision-making in the final third kept them within reach of Angers. And in a match of such low quality, attended by 27,781 spectators, Anjou eventually rebelled and launched a late strike on Steve Mandanda's goal. The former France international remained vigilant to thwart an inswinging free-kick from Zinédine Ferhat.
Given their willingness to go forward to get the equalizer, Angers were vulnerable at the back, proving they were the authors of their own misfortune. Himad Abdelli lost the ball alone in the field. Lorenz Assignon reached into the pocket to double his side's lead, with his left-footed shot taking a heavy deflection on its way in. It was certainly not a match to remember, but the hosts got what they came for.
Steve Mandanda – 5
Hans Hateboer – 6
Leo Ostigard – 5
Mohamadou Nagida – 5
Lorenz Assignon – 6
Jordan James – 5
Azor Matusiwa – 5
Adriaan Truffert – 5
Ludovic Blas – 6
The playmaker looks like a player reborn after his disappointing debut season at Roazhon Park. The former Nantes talisman is increasingly taking charge up front and is flourishing as a right attacking midfielder. As evidenced by his left-footed cross towards Grønbæk's header, Blas has taken his goal tally to another level this season. Replaced by Jota.
Amine Gouiri – N/A
His match ended prematurely after he collided with Fofana while trying to deflect Assignon's cross. The Algeria international thought he could continue, but he had no choice but to throw in the towel in the 14th minute. His substitute, Albert Grønbæk, broke the deadlock with an excellent header at Fofana's near post.
Arnaud Kalimuendo – 4
Himad Abdelli – 4
Lilian Raolisoa – 3
Ibrahima Niane – 3
GFFN | Bastien Cheval reports from Roazhon Park in Rennes
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