On 3 February, one of the matches of the 20th round of the French football championship took place. Rennes (France) and Montpellier (France) met.
French Championship, 20th round
Rennes (France) - Montpellier (France) - 2:1 (1:0)
Goals: M. Terrier (3), A. Calimuendo (48) - Savanier (73)
Warnings: M. Sagnan (12), Khazri (30), Adrian Truffert (45+3), L. Mincarelli (47), A. Calimuendo (53), E. Le Feux (86).
Rennes defeated Montpellier 2-1 in a thrilling football match played at the Roazhon Park stadium. The match, played in the prestigious Ligue 1 league, witnessed a thrilling display of skill, determination and tactical play from both teams. The first half started with Rennes taking the lead as early as the 3rd minute. It was M. Terrière who found the spot in the goal net, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. However, Montpellier quickly regrouped and tried to equalise. In their endeavour, M. Sagnan received a yellow card in the 12th minute, followed by another yellow card for V. Khazri in the 30th minute. Closer to the break the tension increased and in the 45th minute A. Truffer of Rennes also received a yellow card. With the score 1-0 in favour of Rennes for the second half, both teams were determined to succeed. The second half started with Rennes making their first substitution in the 46th minute, bringing on D. Douet instead of A. Guiry. A minute later, Montpellier's L. Mingarelli received a yellow card. However, on 48 minutes events took a dramatic turn when a penalty was awarded to Rennes. A. Calimuendo came on as a substitute and successfully converted the penalty, doubling Rennes' lead. Despite Rennes' strong position, Montpellier continued to fight back.
A disallowed goal due to offside in the 65th minute was a temporary setback for Rennes. Montpellier responded by making a triple substitution in the 68th minute, bringing on K. Fayad, J. Chotat. Fayad, J. Chotard and E. Tchato. "Rennes" also made changes in the line-up: A. Calimuendo and M. Terrier replaced B. Yildirim and L. Blas in the 71st and 72nd minutes respectively. However, Montpellier managed to turn the tide of the match in their favour in the 73rd minute when T. Savanier hit the net. As time ran out, both teams made new substitutions to freshen up their game. Montpellier released T. Coulibaly in place of A. Huguen in the 76th minute, while Rennes replaced B. Bourijo with A. Matusiva in the 82nd minute. Matusiva in the 82nd minute. The tense game continued until the very end when E. Le Feux received a yellow card for Rennes in the 86th minute. In the last minutes of the game, both teams made their final substitutions. Montpellier replaced M. Sagnan with L. Leroy in the 87th minute, while Rennes released A. Seydoux in place of E. Le Feux in the 90th minute. Despite Montpellier's attempts to equalise, Rennes managed to hold on to their lead and win a hard fought victory. The match between Rennes and Montpellier was a real football spectacle, showing the passion and skill of both teams. Goals, yellow cards, penalties and a cancelled goal - the match kept the fans in suspense until the final whistle.
In the next round the following matches await the rivals: Le Havre - Rennes, Montpellier - Lyon.
| Rennes | Montpellier | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Kicks to the goal | 9 |
| 9 | Blows | 17 |
| 3 | Blocked shots | 5 |
| 6 | Penalty kicks | 10 |
| 3 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 7 |
| 14 | Offences | 11 |
| 5 | Corner | 3 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 51% | Ball possession | 49% |
| 4 | Yellow cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 7 | Keeper saves | 2 |
| 384 | Total assists | 366 |
| 311 | Accurate assists | 293 |
| 81% | Accuracy of passes | 80% |