Rennes grinds out win at Angers as Frankowski strikes and Lefort own goal seal it

It took Rennes just eight minutes to put the game on its terms at Stade Raymond Kopa. Przemyslaw Frankowski met a cross from Sebastian Szymanski with his left foot to make it 0-1, and Angers, who had opened the game testing the waters with a shot from Jim Allevinah, suddenly found themselves facing an uphill battle. Eight minutes later came the gut punch: Jordan Lefort turned the ball into his own net, making it 0-2. The final score, 1-2 in Rennes' favor, was effectively decided right there, though the match still had plenty left to offer.

Because Angers didn't fold. In the 34th minute, off a corner kick, Branco van den Boomen whipped in a cross that Carlens Arcus headed home to make it 1-2, injecting some tension into the rest of this Ligue 1 clash. The home side also closed out the first half with more corners, stacking up several in a row between the 33rd and 34th minutes, and had clear chances of their own, including a shot from Amine El Ouazzani that skimmed just wide of the post and an attempt from Anthony Sbaï that Estéban Lepaul answered with a shot of his own at the other end.

The second half stretched on without another goal. Rennes had the clearest chance to put the game away through Estéban Lepaul, who tried his luck from distance on the counter and later tested the goalkeeper again with a shot that grazed the crossbar. Angers, for their part, produced their best chance of the second half deep into the closing stages: substitute Usman Simbakoli headed a Van den Boomen cross off the crossbar in the 87th minute. It was as close as the home side came to an equalizer.

What the numbers say

Rennes controlled more of the ball and created more clear-cut chances, but Angers held their own in the rest of the categories, starting with corners, where they doubled their opponent's tally.

The xG calculated after the fact from the match's shots comes out nearly even: 2.11 for Angers versus 2.01 for Rennes, confirming that the home side created enough danger to have taken more from the match, even though the result was effectively written in the opening 16 minutes.

Our preview published ahead of the match gave a 47% chance to a visiting win, 28% to a draw and 25% to a home win, with an expected total of 2.72 goals. The outcome ended up matching that forecast, with the favorite coming out on top, though Angers put up more resistance than that 25% figure suggested they might.

What the match means in the standings

The win puts Rennes on 7 points from 3 games played, sitting fourth, just two points off the lead held by Monaco. Angers, meanwhile, remain on 3 points from 3 matches and stay in the lower half of the table, with a negative goal difference following this latest defeat. There are now 4 points separating the two sides in the standings.