Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Matchday 21, 07/01/2026

Despite being reduced to 10 men in the 60th minute, RC Lens secured their 16th victory of the season to regain the lead in Ligue 1, with Odsonne Édouard, Ruben Aguilar and Allan Saint-Maximin responding to Esteban Lepaul’s early opener for Stade Rennais (3-1).

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The match

Stuck in a series of negative results, including a 3-0 defeat at Olympique de Marseille in the Round of 32 of the Coupe de France, and shaken by turbulent internal turmoil, Rennes hoped to take advantage of their trip to Lens to restore calm within their ranks. But at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, facing a Sang et Or side looking to retake the lead of the league, their mission was far from easy.

Put under pressure from the opening minutes of the match, the Bretons initially had to sit back and resist their opponents’ attacks. Before they were able to strike on their first real foray into the opposition’s half. Perfectly set up by Arnaud Nordin, Lepaul finished off a perfectly executed team move by Rennes, who took the lead against the run of play.

But in front of their supporters, Lens were obviously not going to give up without a fight. And it was through Édouard, sent through by Aguilar behind the Rouge et Noir defence and more powerful than Alidu Seidu, who had come on a few minutes earlier to replace the injured Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, that Pierre Sage’s men managed to equalise.

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After the break, Rennes started the second half better. But, as had happened earlier, it was Lens who scored against the run of play. Aguilar, who had provided the assist earlier, turned goalscorer this time, converting a pinpoint delivery from Florian Thauvin. A thrilling match for the Lens right-back, who was sent off seconds later for a second yellow card.

Reduced to ten men, Les Sang et Or were not as disconcerted as Beye had hoped. So much so that they even managed to score a third goal, thanks to Allan Saint-Maximim, who, in the space of half an hour, justified the reasons that had prompted Jean-Louis Leca, his new sporting director, to sign him.

Lens thus secured their tenth consecutive home win and regained top spot in the table, provisionally. For Rennes, who have lost three of their last four Ligue 1 matches, the poor run continued, preventing them from regaining fifth place from Lille, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Metz earlier this weekend.

Of note was also an injury to Jérémy Jacquet, who suffered a left shoulder injury and had to leave his teammates 20 minutes before the end of the match.

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Lens player ratings:

Robin Risser – 6

Ismaëlo Ganiou – 7

Samson Baidoo – 6

Malang Sarr – 7

Ruben Aguilar – 7

He experienced a very eventful match, delivering an assist, scoring a goal and being sent off 30 minutes before the final whistle. His contribution was also significant, as Lens pressed hard on the left side of Rennes’ defence.

Mamadou Sangaré – 7

Adrien Thomasson – 5

Matthieu Udol – 5

Florian Thauvin – 6

Wesley Saïd – 5

Odsonne Édouard – 7

Although he didn’t touch the ball twenty times, Édouard led the charge, scoring the equaliser just before half-time. Also involved in the second goal, he stood out for his important off-the-ball play, putting pressure on the opposition defence.

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Selected Rennes player ratings:

Mathys Silistrie – 3

Starting in place of Brice Samba for his Ligue 1 debut, Mathys Silistrie had a difficult afternoon. However, the interesting aspect of his footwork and his willingness to give instructions to his teammates will still be remembered.

Mousa Al-Tamari – 3

Arnaud Nordin – 5

Back in Ligue 1, Nordin delivered a brilliant assist to Lepaul for the opening goal. He was very influential in the first half, but faded somewhat in the second.

GFFN | Léo Aschi