Stade Rennais, once seemingly destined for relegation back in January, fittingly came close to sealing their Ligue 1 survival over the Easter weekend, as Mohamed Meite’s powerful late header secured a 2-1 win against 10-man Nantes in the fiercely contested Derby de la Bretagne.
Rennes started on the front foot, and the match nearly turned dramatically in their favour when Douglas Augusto’s disastrous backpass sent Nantes keeper Anthony Lopes scrambling.
In a desperate attempt to clear the danger, Lopes brought down Musa Al-Taamari, conceding a penalty.
Arnaud Kalimuendo stepped up and coolly slotted the spot-kick, but it was disallowed after he accidentally struck the ball twice, the shot deflecting off his standing foot.
Unfazed by the setback, the hosts continued to dominate, with Lopes making a stunning double save to deny both Seko Fofana and Azor Matusiwa from close range.
Rennes’ relentless pressure finally paid off when captain Adrien Truffert broke the deadlock, drilling a composed finish into the far corner from the left edge of the box to put his side 1-0 up.
Jeremy Jacquet nearly added a second before halftime with a looping header that grazed the top of the crossbar.
Nantes, who hadn’t tasted victory in their last 11 visits to Rennes, turned in a lacklustre first-half performance that mirrored their recent form.
However, the Canaries briefly came to life after the break. Mostafa Mohamed capitalised on a fortunate bounce in the area to slot home the equaliser – Nantes’ first attempt on target.
Their resurgence was short-lived. Minutes after drawing level, Marcus Coco was shown a red card following a VAR review, having needlessly elbowed Truffert while shepherding the ball out of play.
With a numerical advantage, Rennes seized control. Lilian Brassier and Anthony Rouault both went close as the hosts laid siege to the Nantes goal.
The pressure eventually told in the 86th minute when Truffert whipped in a perfect cross, and Meite rose to meet it with a thunderous header that clipped the bar on its way in.
