Rennes wins it the Auxerre way

Against one of its Nemeses, Stade Rennes had suffered so much over the last few years that - even though Frédéric Antonetti’s men were far from playing their most convincing game of the season – anyone in Rennes will be satisfied with the excellent result achieved in Bourgogne.
Last season, in a game they had dominated, Rennes had returned from Bourgogne with a bitter defeat, punished in the second half by a clinical Auxerre side. This time, even though the “Rouge et Noir” haven’t really dominated the game (the game was in fact quite even), they can be satisfied for having managed to convert one of their rare occasions in the second half.

The first half seemed like a familiar scenario however: a game globally controlled but a team unable to convert its opportunities. The first big chance of the game indeed came for Pitroipa, who received a cross by Théophile-Catherine but couldn’t hit the ball harder to beat a valiant Olivier Sorin.
Auxerre soon reacted however, and looked to take back control of the ball to try and use the pace of their forwards. The header of Alain Traoré, on a cross by Oliech, flew past the goal. Then, Oliech again tried a range shot but it was no worry for Costil; finally, the Kenyan tried to tackle the ball in but his effort went wide once again.
In a rather physical game, Stade Rennais also had its chances. On a counter-attack led by Pitroipa, Doumbia fell in the penalty area, clearly tripped by a defender, but the referee didn’t budge. A few minutes later, Kenbo came inches away from opening the score: his curled right-footed effort skimmed the upright of Sorin. Just before half-time, Auxerre created its biggest chance yet: beating the offside trap, youngster Sanogo sent an immediate and violent shot, miraculously pushed away by Costil. The last minutes of the first half were also marked by the injury of Jirès Kembo, who felt pain at the back of the thigh and was force to be replaced by Razak Boukari during the break.

In the second half, the rhythm lowered from both sides, and Rennes couldn’t create any more chances. One could note the free-kick curled by Féret, on which Sorin produced a good save. Meanwhile, Pitroipa tried to cause trouble in the Auxerre defence, but mostly without success.
On its side, Auxerre was trying to keep more of the ball, but struggled to create any danger on Benoît Costil’s goal. It would take a massive blunder from the Rennes goalkeeper for them to produce the biggest Auxerre chance. On a hand clearance, the ball bounced on the back of Traoré before landing in the feet of Sanogo who lobbed the ball from the entrance of the area, but Kana-Biyik rushed back to his line to clear the ball for a corner.

On the set-piece, Stade Rennes manage to clear its goal and on the following counter, recovering the ball at midfield, Boukari launched Julien Féret behind the defence, who came facing Sorin clear from the defence and beat the Auxerre goalkeeper with a very cold-blooded left-foot hit (74’). A little miracle for Rennes, who had been so close to conceding a few seconds earlier.

Going slightly backwards, Rennes then abandoned the initiative to Auxerre, and took the risk of exposing themselves to a possible return. Not inspired this Sunday, Laurent Fournier’s players wouldn’t manage it, unable to take the edge on a defence well determined not to concede. A mission perfectly managed in the final few minutes, and which allowed Stade Rennais to breathe and position themselves in third place in the league, with a second consecutive victory in the league.

Match Facts

AJ AUXERRE 0 - 1 STADE RENNAIS FC (half-time : 0-0)

Ligue 1, Game Week 11
Sunday, October 23rd 2011, 17:00

Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps
Attendance : 9 514 spectators

Referee : Pascal Vileo

Goal : Féret (74’) for Rennes.

Yellow Cards : Oliech (10’) for Auxerre ; Montaño (78’) for Rennes.

- Stade rennais FC : Costil - Danzé, Kana-Biyik, Mangane (cap), Théophile-Catherine - M’Vila, Doumbia (Tettey, 87’), Féret - Kembo (Boukari, 46’), Montaño (Pajot, 81’), Pitroipa.

Manager : Frédéric Antonetti.

- AJ Auxerre : Sorin (cap) - Hengbart, Boly, Coulibaly, Sidibé - Dudka (Contout, 78’), É. Cissé - Oliech, Traoré, Chafni - Sanogo (Jemaa, 83’).

Manager : Laurent Fournier.