{"id":594586,"date":"2026-08-24T15:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T15:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/594586\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T15:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T15:38:09","slug":"rennes-push-psg-all-the-way-to-show-they-are-the-best-of-the-rest-in-ligue-1-ligue-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/594586\/","title":{"rendered":"Rennes push PSG all the way to show they are the best of the rest in Ligue 1 | Ligue 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the scale of expressions of prowess and power, Paris Saint-Germain bringing almost \u20ac150m worth of attacking talent off the bench \u2013 including the man who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final last month \u2013 ranks only a couple of rungs below the level of the extravagant aggression of a military parade. Imposing, dominating, reasserting, this wasn\u2019t about expression but necessity as the reigning European champions<\/a> initially floundered against a Rennes team that lived up to their billing as the best of the rest in Ligue 1.<\/p>\n

PSG were forced into rolling out their new attacking arsenal early. For 45 minutes, Rennes\u2019 incessant pressing and fluidity in transition had Luis Enrique\u2019s side under duress. Sebastien Szymanski opened the scoring with a sliced effort from outside the box that clipped in off the inside of a post.<\/p>\n

PSG had territorial dominance but could not equalise. Two former Rennes players \u2013 D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 and Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 \u2013 had the best chances, the latter particularly wasteful with a skied first-time effort from inside the box. Esteban Lepaul, the top scorer in Ligue 1<\/a> last season, picked up where he left off, beating Matvey Safonov with a first-time effort towards the near post to double Rennes\u2019 lead.<\/p>\n

A reaction was needed, and it drew a very strong one from Luis Enrique. Off came perhaps the two most talented players in the league, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. On came Ferran Torres and Mika Godts, signed for a combined fee of nearly \u20ac100m, at half-time. The former hauled PSG back into the game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the \u20ac50m signing Maghnes Akliouche had come on for his Ligue 1 debut for the champions, as had Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz and it was the Spanish connection that ensured a point for PSG. Ruiz teed up both of Torres\u2019 goals, the first after an exquisitely timed run in behind from the former Barcelona forward and the second a close-range header. Willian Pacho was called upon in the dying moments, making a goalline clearance to secure the draw.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think about what you\u2019ve won, you won\u2019t win anything else. You have to show every day that you are ready,\u201d said Luis Enrique when asked about his decision to replace Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and Kvaratskhelia. He added that there had been a \u201ca big difference in rhythm\u201d between Rennes and PSG.<\/p>\n

Ferran Torres scored twice for PSG in their 2-2 draw against Lens. Photograph: St\u00e9phane Mah\u00e9\/Reuters<\/p>\n

PSG\u2019s lethargy is no surprise; it was only the nature of their opponents \u2013 Nantes and Angers \u2013 that prevented them from slipping up at the start of last season, once again after limited preparation time. \u201cWe have to be more ready,\u201d said Luis Enrique. The same applies to the groundstaff at the Parc des Princes. The state of PSG\u2019s pitch meant this game moved last minute to Roazhon Park; it suited Rennes, especially if, as they argue should be the case, the second game is also played at their home ground.<\/p>\n

There is a burgeoning positivity around Roazhon Park. While the prospects of other challengers have dwindled, Rennes\u2019 have multiplied. The wealth of the Breton club\u2019s owners, the Pinault family, has bought them a form of immunity to the financial crisis that has now struck down Marseille and Monaco; other challengers: Lille, Lyon, Strasbourg<\/a> and Lens are consigned to stagnation, for now.<\/p>\n

Rennes approached the season looking second-best on paper, and after Sunday night, that perception now aligns with reality. Rennes fended off competition from the Premier League to sign the England youth international Charlie Cresswell from Toulouse. One of the best defenders in Ligue 1 last season, he was excellent against PSG; in Adrien Thomasson, Rennes also acquired the most valuable piece of Lens\u2019 success last season, arguably the best midfielder in the division, and on a free, no less. And in Lepaul, they have a prolific striker who is very much in contention to be in Zinedine Zidane\u2019s first France squad next month.<\/p>\n

They have a strong spine and a brilliant manager. Franck Haise began his managerial career as a youth coach at Rennes, and they were only too happy to bring him back in February after things turned sour at Nice. There has always been the perception that there has been a missing piece in the puzzle at Rennes. Despite their means, their talented squad, their renowned academy, they had reached a ceiling. Questionable managerial appointments played their part. Haise may well be the right man, the missing part.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is more positive than negative,\u201d he said after the 2-2 draw. The negative is the way the two points were ceded, a laxness creeping in, particularly from Abdelhamid A\u00eft-Boudlal, who is nonetheless another exciting prospect. The positive is that Rennes did not look second-best on the night, but they could be come the end of the season, and for all clubs in Ligue 1, that has to be the aspiration. PSG flexed their muscles, but only because Rennes made them.<\/p>\n

Quick GuideLigue 1 results Show<\/p>\n

Ligue 1 results<\/p>\n

Angers 0-2 Lille<\/p>\n

Le Havre 0-1 Monaco<\/p>\n

Rennes 2-2 PSG<\/p>\n

Lens 5-2 Auxerre<\/p>\n

Le Mans 2-2 Brest<\/p>\n

Nice 0-0 Lorient<\/p>\n

Toulouse 0-2 Lyon<\/p>\n

Troyes 0-0 Paris FC<\/p>\n

Marseille 4-0 Strasbourg<\/p>\n

Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n

Talking points<\/p>\n

Strasbourg should be worried after their 4-0 defeat to Marseille<\/a>. They had to replace Gary O\u2019Neil in the summer when he moved to Ipswich but there are doubts about Hugo Oliveira. This is not a vintage Marseille side, but they looked it as they put four past goalkeeper Filip J\u00f6rgensen, who is on loan from Chelsea. Strasbourg\u2019s cause was not aided by a petulant Samir El Mourabet kick on Pierre-Emile H\u00f8jbjerg, which rightly earned the Morocco international a red card on the hour mark. Conceding 21 goals in seven friendlies can be dismissed as \u201cjust pre-season\u201d, but when that form carries into the campaign, there may be a problem for a club with European ambitions.<\/p>\n

Despite losing Pierre Sage and the spine of their side, Lens did not look any weaker as they swept aside Auxerre<\/a> on Will Still\u2019s return to the Beaujoire, winning 5-2. The former Lens manager, who is back in Ligue 1 after a failed stint at Southampton, saw his side comprehensively beaten thanks in part to an inspired Florian Thauvin. Now wearing the captain\u2019s armband, he scored twice and set up another as Dino Toppm\u00f6ller got off to a roaring start as Lens manager. European football will provide a fresh challenge once it arrives in September, but this emphatic win eases fears that last season was a flash in the pan.<\/p>\n

The matches in Marseille, Le Mans and Nice were preceded by tributes to \u00c9ric Roy, who was still in his post as Brest<\/a> manager when he died from pancreatic cancer in June. Roy led Brest in the club\u2019s first ever European campaign in the 2024-25 season. \u201cWe have him in our thoughts,\u201d said Julien Lachuer, an internal appointment at the club over the summer. The new era at Brest began with a draw against Le Mans on Saturday.<\/p>\n

This is an article by Get French Football News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the scale of expressions of prowess and power, Paris Saint-Germain bringing almost \u20ac150m worth of attacking talent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-594586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}