PSG fall at home against Rennes

Paris Saint-Germain received Stade Rennais this Sunday afternoon as part of the 28th day of Ligue 1 in a sunny Parc des Princes. The capital club had to win to keep their lead over their pursuers, a gap reduced by the victory of RC Lens against Angers (3-0), thus passing in front of Olympique de Marseille, on the road to Reims tonight at 8:45 p.m. For this meeting, Christophe Galtier trusted the young Timothée Pembélé and El Chadaille Bitshiabu in his starting lineup, while Bruno Genesio offered youth in his team, with Désiré Doué, Lesley Ugochukwu or Warmed Omari. The start of the game was fatal to the Breton technician, not because of an opening of the opposing score, but because of the injury of Adrien Truffert – selected with the Espoirs, who saw his ankle turn on his defensive intervention against Pembélé (2nd), quickly replaced by Birger Meling. This did not prevent the Rennais from making a few incursions into the opposing area, but they lacked accuracy in the crossfire, but blocked, from Toko Ekambi (11th) and on the cross from Doué towards Kalimuendo (12th). Following a great combination, with success, between Messi and Fabian, the Argentinian saw his shot deflected by the opposing defense for a corner, which was not far from surprising the red rearguard-and -black (16th). Wearing the captain’s armband for the second time this season, Mbappé thought he opened the scoring with a shot at the near post to deceive Mandanda but the referee signaled an offside for the Bondynois at the start of the action (24th). He found depth in stride but had less success on his shot that was too crossed from the left (25th), before being defeated by the Rennes goalkeeper on an attempted lob (26th).

Heroic, the 2018 world champion goalkeeper also won against Pembélé (34th) then Mbappé, again him (40th). And before the break, Toko Ekambi, launched behind the defense by Bourigeaud, only needed two touches in his sequence to place his ball and crucify Donnarumma, whose hand was not firm enough to clear his shot powerful and crossed (0-1, 45th). On returning from the locker room, PSG put their foot on the ball and took the lead over a Rennes team cornered in their last third. But on his first quick attack, initiated by a recovery from Bourigeaud to launch Ugochukwu, who distilled a low center for Kalimuendo, who only has to push the ball into the empty goal (0-1, 48th) to make the break against his training club.

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The SRFC’s second goal forced the locals to occupy the opposing camp to get back to the score, but little success in the last gesture, especially on the slow shot from KM7, quietly captured by Mandanda (54th). The opportunities followed on either side of the Ile-de-France green rectangle: not marked enough by Pereira, KTE opened his foot perfectly to find the opposite Parisian skylight but his curling brushed against the left post of Donnarumma (68th). Messi’s long shot was then repelled by the last bastion, then present to cut the center of Ekitike (71st). Spence, served deep behind Bernat’s back, was finally disturbed by the exit from the last rampart (73rd). Despite an obvious possession in the last quarter of an hour, the Parisians were unable to reduce the mark, falling against an imperial Mandanda on his line (8 saves). The ex-international tricolor carried out a superb parade on the rolled up of Marco Verratti, served by Mbappé in the zone of truth (84th). The last attacks placed by the locals did not change the fate of the meeting. With this defeat, PSG can see OM come back to seven points with this fourth defeat of the season, the second against Stade Rennais, who climb to provisional fifth place.