Rennes 2-0 PSG: 5 talking points as wasteful visitors suffer first defeat of season | Ligue 1 2021-22
PSG's winning run in Ligue 1 came to an end as Rennes scored either side of half-time at Roazhon Park to end the league leaders' perfect start to the season.
PSG started the game brightly, with Lionel Messi whipping in a 31st-minute free-kick against the woodwork, with Alfred Gomis well beaten. Before that Kylian Mbappe and Neymar missed sitters. The missed chances came back to haunt the visitors.
🔚 Final whistle! @staderennais shocks @PSG_English to earn a massive home win 🔴⚫
âš½ G. Laborde
âš½ F. Tait
#SRFCPSG 2-0 https://t.co/IeOhNtfCJv
Gaëtan Laborde had a great outing, and was at the heart of the two quick-fire goals scored by Rennes. Kamaldeen Sulemana made some good runs down the left flank. His quick thinking help set up Laborde for the opener, though Nuno Mendes' failure to react also helped the hosts.
Laborde turned provider for the second goal, racing down the right flank and catching PSG off-guard. His inviting cross was met well by Flavien Tait.
PSG responded by dominating possession, but could not find their feet against the hosts, who sat back and defended their two-goal lead. The visitors had a goal disallowed for off-side. But VAR helped them save face, as a late penalty call for Rennes was turned down.
With Lionel Messi suffering his first defeat in PSG colours, here's a look at five talking points from the game.
#5 PSG's 100% record comes to an end
The PSG juggernaut in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season was brought to a halt by Rennes. With that the league's leaders' eight-game winning start to the season came to an end.
It was PSG's first defeat in the league since April. But the manner of their defeat should be a bit concerning. The visitors just couldn't handle Rennes' counter-attacks, who scored twice from their four shots on target.
#4 Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe yet to hit top form for PSG
Lionel Messi is still searching for his first Ligue 1 goal. Kylian Mbappe has not scored in his last five outings across competitions, while Neymar has just one goal to his name across competitions.
Despite having such a fearsome attacking trio, PSG could not record a single shot on target against Rennes. The closest they came to getting on the scoresheet was Messi's free-kick that rattled the crossbar.
Rennes 2-0 PSG.
PSG didn't have a single shot on target.
Messi, Neymar and Mbappe all started. https://t.co/QIWkVUa0nr
It was the first time since April that PSG failed to find the back of the net when they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
You may also like: 10 football players with the most fans in the world.