Rennes lead 2-0, get pegged back by a Mafouta double, and Lepaul wins it from the spot at 90+6
Esteban Lepaul and Valentin Rongier had Rennes two up inside 26 minutes. Louis Mafouta scored twice before the hour to level it. Then Lepaul stepped up in the sixth minute of stoppage time and made it 3-2.
Rennes were cruising. Esteban Lepaul scored at 5', Valentin Rongier at 26', and a home crowd at Roazhon Park settled in for a straightforward afternoon against newly promoted Le Mans.
It was not straightforward. Louis Mafouta pulled one back at 30' and equalised from the penalty spot at 54'. The game stayed 2-2 until the sixth minute of stoppage time, when Lepaul won and converted a penalty of his own.
Lepaul's day
Two goals for the striker, a week after he scored in the 2-2 draw with PSG. Le Mans, for their part, out-shot Rennes 14 to 9 and finished with the higher expected-goals figure — 1.93 to 1.15 — which made the stoppage-time swing a hard one to take.
Match facts
- 5' — Esteban Lepaul (Rennes)
- 26' — Valentin Rongier (Rennes)
- 30' — Louis Mafouta (Le Mans)
- 54' — Louis Mafouta (Le Mans), penalty
- 90+6' — Esteban Lepaul (Rennes), penalty
| Stat | Rennes | Le Mans |
|---|---|---|
| Total shots | 9 | 14 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 5 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.15 | 1.93 |
| Saves | 3 | 5 |
What's next
Both clubs had drawn their openers 2-2 — Le Mans eighth, Rennes ninth in a table that still shows the matchday-1 standings. Rennes now have their first win. On the weekend of 5-6 September, Rennes go to Angers and Le Mans travel to Nice.
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