How frustrating!

Rennes looking solid

Stade Rennes didn’t come with all its assets against the Atlético Madrid. Left without Mangane and Boye in defence, Frédéric Antonetti was also left without Mavinga, suffering of gastro-enteritis. Therefore, Mandjeck started at centre-back alongside Kana-Biyik. The Rennes manager had also decided to rotate his squad, leaving M’Vila and Pitroipa on the bench.

The Colchoneros were the first to attack, with a harmless shot by Gabi (6’). Rennes looked solid, but the Atlético was slowly taking the advantage at midfield. The Spaniards were in control of the game, without creating any real chances. It would take some time until a header by Suarez, who missed the target (25’), for Rennes to see any threat coming. For the Bretons, Montaño had only managed to hit the side-netting (16’) in a narrow angle.

The Atlético in struggle

Building from a solid defensive base, Rennes was gradually showing itself as equal to the Spanish team. At the 35th minute, Kembo hit a shot that skimmed Courtois’ upright. Part of the public at seen the shot get in! The chance managed to wake up the Stade de la Route de Lorient which just as the game, started getting more animated. The two teams were then countering each other in quick succession and Montaño, giving too much angle to his header, was close to beating the Spanish defence (38’). Rennes had then taken the upper hand, and finished the first half in control of the game. Solid and showing presence, the Rennes defence had never really been endangered.

Stade Rennes started the second half in the same mind-set, and pushed a struggling Atlético. At the 51st minute, Courtois had to act twice in order to bloc Dalmat’s shot. Soon after, the midfielder combined with Montaño, who scored after his shot was deflected (56’). Rennes was rewarded for its efforts and converted its domination, but the Bretons were nearly caught up a minute later when Costil managed to save his goal in front of Falcao (57’). The Rennes goalkeeper managed another world-class stop a few minutes later on a shot by Diego (63’).

Rennes once again giving up the lead

Pushed by a stadium that hadn’t known such atmosphere for a long time, Stade Rennes strived to score this second goal it had been missing in the last two home games. But neither Féret, after dribbling two players to enter the area (57’), nor M’Vila on a long range shot (77’) or Mandjeck whose hit skimmed the right post of Courtois (84’) managed the break. Under the “olé” of the Stade de la Route de Lorient’s attendance, it was instead the Spanish who equalised through Juanfran on a corner-kick (86’).

As against Saint-Étienne on Sunday, or against Nancy the previous week-end, Stade Rennais failed to keep their lead. Antonetti’s players can have big regrets, since Atlético Madrid’s equaliser seen undeserved. Rennes, as its manager would admit at the end of the game, “still needs to improve in their ability to control a game”.

Match Facts

STADE RENNAIS FC 1 - 1 ATLÉTICO MADRID (Half-Time : 0-0)

Europa League, Group I, 2nd Game Day
Thursday, September 29th 2011, 19:00

Stade de la route de Lorient
Attendance : about 27 000 spectators

Referee: Hüseyin Göçek

Goals : Montaño (56e) for Rennes ; Juanfran (87e) for Madrid

Yellow Cards : Pitroipa (64’) for Rennes ; Arda Turan (27’), Perea (35’) for Madrid.

- Stade Rennais FC : Costil - Danzé (cap.), Kana-Biyik, Mandjeck, Théophile-Catherine - Doumbia, Tettey, Dalmat (M’Vila, 74’) - Féret, Montaño (Hadji, 69’), Kembo (Pitroipa, 60’).

Manager : Frédéric Antonetti.

- Atlético Madrid : Courtois - Perea, Miranda, Domínguez, Filipe - M. Suárez, Gabi (Reyes, 73’), Diego - Adrián (Salvio, 63’), Turan (Juanfran, 80’) - Falcao.

Manager : Gregorio Manzano.