PARIS — Nantes emerged victorious over Rennes with a late goal, sealing a 1-0 win in the French league on Sunday. The match had a dramatic conclusion, as Rennes’ head coach Jorge Sampaoli received a red card during stoppage time after a video review disallowed what would have been an equalizing goal.
Moses Simon, the Nigerian winger for Nantes, broke the deadlock in the 89th minute with a brilliant solo effort, giving the home side the edge. Rennes had been holding their ground after defender Mikayil Faye was sent off just before halftime.
In a thrilling moment during stoppage time, Christopher Wooh thought he had equalized for Rennes with a header from a corner kick in the fourth minute of added time. However, after consulting VAR, referee Mickaël Leleu overturned the goal, citing a handball. Interestingly, Leleu was serving as the fourth official but had to take charge of the match early on after referee Eric Wattelier got injured.
With this win, Nantes climbed to 13th place in the league, tying on points with Rennes, who sit in 12th. In other matches, Lens secured a decisive 2-0 victory over Montpellier, who remains at the bottom of the table, pushing Lens into seventh position. Strasbourg, meanwhile, fell to 14th place after managing a goalless draw against Reims.
In the Lens match, Rémy Labeau Lascary netted the opener in the 39th minute. Although Strasbourg’s Téji Savanier had a couple of near misses in the second half, an own goal from defender Becir Omeragic late in the game confirmed Lens’ win with a final score of 2-0.
Additionally, later on Sunday, the renowned rivalry between Saint-Etienne and Marseille took center stage, both of which have an impressive history with 10 league titles each. Marseille last lifted the trophy in 2010 under the guidance of coach Didier Deschamps, while Saint-Etienne last celebrated their title win in 1981—when soccer legend Michel Platini was a key player for them.
On Saturday, Monaco secured a 2-0 victory against Toulouse, closing the gap to leaders PSG, who could only manage a 0-0 draw against Auxerre on Friday.
