Rennes revives and finds the podium

After two defeats against direct opponents, Rennes finally resumed its march forward at the expense of Lorient, crushed at Roazhon Park by Rennes, who were nevertheless reduced to ten per hour of play.

This success allows the red and black club to move up to third place (59 pts), which had temporarily dislodged Monaco, who fell on Saturday from Saint-Etienne (4-1).

Bruno Genesio's team finally delivered a defensively controlled match, while maintaining their usual offensive verve, materialized in the first period by goals from Benjamin Bourigeaud (17th) and Martin Terrier (19th), author of his 21st goal of the season in L1.

The joy of striker Martin Terrier (c), congratulated by his teammates, after scoring Rennes' 2nd goal at home against Lorient, during the 34th day of Ligue 1, April 24, 2022 at Roazhon Park Damien Meyer AFP

Then Hamari Traoré with a header (47th) and Flavien Tait with a powerful shot (79th) weighed down the score, before Gaëtan Laborde ended his scarcity with a cool goal (90th +3) after eight games without scoring.

Striker Gaëtan Laborde scores Rennes' 5th goal at home against Lorient, on the 34th day of Ligue 1, April 24, 2022 at Roazhon Park Damien Meyer AFP

The only black point is the exclusion of defender Nayef Aguerd, boss of the Rennes defense, who received a red card for an intervention in the position of last defender (58th) and will be missing next weekend against Saint- Stephen...

Nice in extremis

Nice could no longer win?

The Riviera club returned to success by taming Troyes (1-0) on a providential goal from Képhren Thuram (90th + 4), moving up to provisional fifth place.

The joy of Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram (c), after scoring the winning goal in added time, 1-0 against Troyes, during the 34th day of Ligue 1, April 24, 2022 at the Allianz Riviera Valery HACH AFP

The Aiglons displayed a worrying lack of creativity for a long time, coming up against the Aube defense, before Thuram appeared in the dying seconds of the match.

This lackluster match did not solve everything, but it at least allows the people of Nice (57 pts) to give themselves some air in the race for Europe by placing themselves in ambush two lengths from the podium, before going to challenge a drifting Bordeaux team next weekend.

Bordeaux and Metz sink, Clermont tears away

A hair-raising but cruel scenario for the Girondins, penultimate in Ligue 1, who squandered their advantage twice before losing 5-3 to Nantes in a crazy match.

David Guion's players are stagnating in a relegation position four days from the end.

The Girondins however led 2-0, then 3-2 at the Beaujoire stadium, but the Nantes people imposed themselves with forceps, with in particular a double from Kalifa Coulibaly (47th, 72nd), before Jimmy Briand missed the penalty of the Bordeaux equalizer at 4-4 (87th) and that Osman Bukari does not seal the score on the canary side (89th).

Malian striker from Nantes Kalifa Coulibaly, author of a double against Bordeaux, beaten 5-3, during the 34th day of Ligue 1, April 24, 2022 at the Stade de La Beaujoire Loic VENANCE AFP

Bordeaux (19th, 27 pts) is four points behind the barrage Saint-Etienne and six lengths on the seventeenth place...

Similarly, the situation seems very compromised for Metz, which has not won for three months: the red lantern (24 pts) fell again at home, this time against Brest (1-0), stagnating at seven lengths from Stéphanois .

The joy of Algerian Brest midfielder Youcef Belaili, after opening the scoring against Metz, during the 34th day of Ligue 1, April 24, 2022 at the Saint-Symphorien Stadium in Longeville-lès-Metz Jean-Christophe Verhaegen AFP

The Messins conceded a goal from Algerian rookie Youcef Belaïli (27th), his first in L1, before finishing at nine after the exclusion of Jemerson then Alexandre Oukidja (80th).

In this context, the point of the draw snatched by Clermont (17th, 33 pts) against Angers (2-2) looks like an excellent operation for the Auvergnats.

Led 2-0 at home after goals from Mohamed-Ali Cho (37th), silent since October, and Ismaël Traoré (45th), the Clermontois had a burst of pride: Mohamed Bayo revived Clermont (73rd) before Cho either excluded at the start of the last quarter of an hour (75th), galvanizing the premises.

And it was Lucas Da Cunha, with a low strike, who materialized the Auvergne "clermontada" (82nd), allowing them to nibble on a precious point with a view to maintaining.

© 2022 AFP