02/13/26 04:34:00
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02/13 16:32 CST Coachless Rennes stuns Ligue 1 leader PSG and ends winless run
Coachless Rennes stuns Ligue 1 leader PSG and ends winless run
RENNES, France (AP) --- Coachless Rennes stunned Ligue 1 leader Paris
Saint-Germain 3-1 at home and snapped a five-game winless run on Friday.
The home side fired coach Habib Beye on Monday after its early season gains
looked to be slipping away, and it was a firm underdog against PSG, which came
to Brittany after winning all seven of its last league fixtures.
But Rennes hit the post early on and it got a reward for its confident start
after 33 minutes. Jordanian midfielder Mousa Al-Tamari charged forward on the
counterattack and found enough space between two defenders on the edge of the
penalty area to curl in a superb opener.
PSG came into the game but was hesitant in front of goal and Esteban Lepaul
doubled Rennes' lead midway through the second half. The prolific center
forward rose highest to bullet a header past Matvey Safonov for his 11th goal
of the season.
Former Rennes player Ousmane Dembl pulled one back for PSG two minutes later
but Breel Embolo restored Rennes' two-goal cushion in the 81st when he finished
off another counterattack.
PSG remained atop the table but second-placed Lens can take over if it beats
Paris FC on Saturday.
Rennes moved above Lille into fifth place.
Monaco beats Nantes
Monaco overcame lowly Nantes 3-1 for its fourth league game without defeat.
Monaco rose three places to seventh after a horrendous run of seven losses in
eight league games from the start of December to mid-January.
Ivory Coast winger Adingra scored in the 25th and 28th minutes and Denis
Zakaria added a third after half an hour --- his first goal of the season ---
to put Monaco in the driver's seat.
Fabien Centonze pulled a goal back on the stroke of halftime for Nantes.
Although Aleksandr Golovin's dismissal after 65 minutes gave Nantes a man
advantage for most of the second half it could not muster a fightback.
Nantes was second from bottom of Ligue 1, equal on points with
third-from-bottom Auxerre.
With a third of the season remaining, the gap between the bottom three and the
teams above them was an intimidating eight points.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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