Five days after a resounding victory in Le Classique against Olympique de Marseille (5–0), Paris Saint-Germain were back in Ligue 1 action on Matchday 22 with a trip to the Breton capital, Rennes. In a red-hot Roazhon Park, our Rouge et Bleu were aiming to extend their winning run in the top flight, but they faced a Stade Rennais FC side eager to halt their negative spiral.
The first chance went to the Bretons, with Estéban Lepaul trying his luck from 20 yards out and striking the post of Matvey Safonov with a curling effort (6’). The visitors responded quickly, but Désiré Doué, found in behind the opposing defence, was denied by Brice Samba (12’). As the minutes passed, Paris began to take control of proceedings and quieten the home side’s early momentum. The hosts were then forced to rely on counter-attacks to make the difference, and Mousa Tamari managed to do just that, opening the scoring after a solo run (1–0, 34’).
In the second half, the club from the capital tried to threaten Brice Samba's goal, but without success. Stade Rennais FC, however, took full advantage of an outswinging corner from Sebastian Szymański, with Estéban Lepaul doubling the lead with a header (2–0, 69’). With only around twenty minutes left, the task was becoming increasingly difficult for Paris Saint-Germain. Found on the right flank, the captain for the night, Achraf Hakimi, delivered a cross to Ousmane Dembélé, who glanced a header across goal to immediately give the Rouge et Bleu hope (2–1, 71’).
Momentum had shifted, and chances followed one after another for the Parisian side, forcing the Rennes goalkeeper into several saves (77’, 79’). But once again, Rennes capitalised on a strong spell from Paris by striking quickly on the counter, as Breel Embolo restored his team’s two-goal advantage by finishing off after a cross from Ludovic Blas (3–1, 81’). A third goal that proved fatal for the Parisians, who were once more denied by Brice Samba in the closing moments of the match (90’+2, 90’+4).
The end of a top-flight winning streak for Luis Enrique's side, who lacked cutting edge in front of goal and must now turn their attention to their next European fixture: the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off away at AS Monaco FC on Tuesday (21:00).