The French fans were genuinely surprised that Shakhtar could beat Rennes (2-1) in the first leg of the Europa League 1/16 final in Warsaw yesterday. They were confident that their side would clinch the win. Either Shakhtar will close down defensively, hoping to play out a draw.
The French do not understand how they could lose to a team that sold their best player in the winter, while before that they lost almost all of their internationals. In addition, the Ukrainian club is in very difficult conditions because of the war, Rennes has game practice, which should have helped them beat Shakhtar.
Nevertheless, the French believe that the 1-2 defeat is not a terrible thing. They also believe that Rennes are capable of beating Shakhtar at home to advance to the next round of the competition.
Lorilland: I don't understand how we could lose to a club that can't even prepare properly for matches because of the war! Have we underestimated our opponent, or is Rennes so weak now that even Shakhtar have become a formidable opponent for us?
Papis: Ekambi's goal gives you some hope before the return leg. Had we lost 0-2 it would have been difficult to rectify. 1-2 is an unpleasant result, but not fatal. Everything still depends on us and whether we can draw conclusions after that unpleasant defeat.
Soums: The problem with French football is weak coaches. Look at PSG and Galtier, Rennes and Genesio. There are very few good coaches in France, which is why our football has not developed. With such top class players, French clubs could consistently win European tournaments. But in the end, even PSG, with all their international stars, can't achieve anything.
Marre: Despite all the obvious problems, Shakhtar Donetsk remain a strong club with great European league experience. We cannot simply beat them; we should have prepared much better, instead of relying on the rival's problems. I think, first of all, there should be questions to the coaching staff after that unpleasant match.
Goeugnau: It will be difficult to go further. Harder than it seemed yesterday. But I do not see anything impossible. "Shakhtar did not surprise us in this match. Rather, our team made a lot of mistakes, but it can be corrected. I believe that Rennes will advance to the next round.
Bablon: Unfortunately, the result is fair. We could have drawn under certain circumstances, but could have lost with a smashing score. 1-2 is a deserved defeat for Rennes and gives us a chance to make things right in the return leg.
Simango: I thought Shakhtar will play much worse without Mudryk. There has been so much talk about this player, but so far he has played very badly for Chelsea, while Shakhtar have managed to beat us even without him.
Rosse: It is difficult to explain why Rennes are losing again. It was not the game I expected to see today. It's not even about the final defeat, but the fact that Rennes had a really mediocre match against far from the strongest of opponents. And that's worrying. The team can fail the season if they do not change the situation for the better urgently.
Louest: I wouldn't be surprised if Rennes can't win the return leg and then Genesio is fired after that. Unfortunately, the team has been looking very weak lately and has been losing to everyone in a row. I was not even surprised by the defeat against Shakhtar, it's quite a worthy opponent, not worse than many other clubs we have lost to this year.
Rivoallan: I am very upset by the choice of starting line-up and tactics for the game. It was obvious that Shakhtar would act in a similar style. We should have played a little smarter, we should have let the opponents possess the ball and go for it on the counterattack. Unfortunately, Rennes played too predictably and therefore lost.
Toussaint: It's not the same Shakhtar as a few years ago, but still a formidable opponent. I think that Rennes can win 2-0 or 3-0 at home, which will allow us to advance to the next round. Let's not give up beforehand. Everything can still be fixed.
Leprier: A match no one will want to remember or re-watch. "Shakhtar played badly, Rennes played even worse. We deservedly lost, but at the same time I would not say that everything is so hopeless that we have no chance. We can beat a weak Shakhtar at home and progress to the next round. The only question is, what to do next with such a weak game?
Fouge: Genesio's problem is that he becomes too predictable. In the beginning his tactics worked, he was able to surprise his opponents. But now everyone already understands what he will do. Tactically Genesio is a pretty weak coach and we don't have the players who could decide the fate of the match on their own.
Morel: Rennes will qualify for the next round but I was embarrassed for today's match. This is not the Rennes, which one wants to see on the field. "Shakhtar won but not without problems. It's just for the Ukrainians this is the maximum they can do. "In contrast, Rennes can make a big difference if Genesio begins to think before setting their lineup and tactics for the game.
Rosay: If you just look at Rennes' results in 2023, you would be foolish to expect that we could get past Shakhtar. Before the match with the Ukrainians the statistics was as follows: 5 defeats and 4 wins in 9 games. At the same time we had 4 defeats in the last 5 games. What European competitions are we talking about? Here we should not fall apart in League 1. Not so long ago we were aspiring to qualify for Champions League, but now we can't get anywhere at all.
Marechall: Both teams have played badly. If I wasn't a Rennes fan, I would have gladly switched to another match. I feel like I just wasted 2 hours of my life on something painfully useless. However, it's not the first such useless game by Rennes in recent times.
Pinard: Can anyone say that Shakhtar played bright and beautiful football? I don't think so. Can anyone say that we played against a strong opponent? Not either. The only problem is Rennes. The team have lost confidence and started losing to everyone in a row.
Hamdy: Shakhtar competently exploited our weaknesses. "Rennes were not ready for such a game, such pressure from the Ukrainians. But I do not think that Shakhtar will be able to repeat it. I hope that Genesio has realized his mistakes and can correct everything before the return match.
Alas, this is a predictable result. I do not understand those who were confident of our victory. And I don't understand those who are hoping for a home win. It's all over for Rennes. Such an opponent will not miss a chance to qualify for the next round. We should focus on Ligue 1, as Rennes is not doing so well lately.
Cherival: I am sorry to say this, but to lose to such an opponent is a shame for our club. "Shakhtar have not played official matches for three months, they do not have the opportunity to prepare properly, and they play home games in a foreign country. And this is only a small part of their problems. But we managed to lose to such an opponent. What is that if not a shame?
