RENNES 2-1 MONACO

THE MATCH

The three points lifted Rennes above Lens and Saint-Etienne and to the top of the table, a point clear with 10 points, as Monaco suffered a cruel first loss of the season.

Two unbeaten teams flying high met and it made for entertaining viewing, although neither side managed to create much until Monaco went in front (28') thanks to Ben Yedder's much-awaited first goal of the campaign. Sofiane Diop's deflected shot looped upwards and Damien Da Silva and Steven Nzonzi both went for the same ball. Da Silva headed it Ben Yedder's way and the Monaco captain smashed an angled shot high into Romain Salin's goal.

Martin Terrier returned from suspension following his red card against Montpellier at the end of August and the former Lyon player started on the left of the home attack. Terrier shot wide from inside the box (50') as Julien Stéphan's side attempted to equalise. Rennes started the second half well but Monaco almost had a second goal (57') when Ben Yedder flicked on a corner and either Serhou Guirassy or Raphinha could have put through their own net.

Ben Yedder's movement was causing Rennes problems and he burst in behind the home defence to greet Djibril Sidibé's clipped pass. The France forward controlled superbly and struck a thunderous left-footed shot off the crossbar (57'). Rennes also hit the woodwork (65') when Benjamin Bourigeaud played a lovely one-two with Terrier before unleashing from 25 metres. Benjamin Lecomte in the Monaco goal - back from coronavirus - was well beaten and grateful to see the ball cannon off the right upright.

Guirassy, scorer of a double in the 4-2 win at Nîmes the previous weekend, headed over an inviting Hamari Traoré cross from the right (78'). Rennes got the goal they'd been threatening when World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi (81') started and finished an excellent move. 18-year-old Truffert supplied the exceptional cross on his Rennes debt, having come on at left-back late in the first half for the injured Faitout Maouassa.

Truffert's night got even better (90+2') when his left-footed shot from Terrier's lay-off squirmed under Lecomte, who will feel he should have done better. Rennes had been rewarded for their persistence and they now look down on the rest.

THE PLAYER: Wissam Ben Yedder

The joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in 2019-2020 with Kylian Mbappé on 18 goals, the Monaco captain got off the mark for the new campaign and played brilliantly, a constant threat to the Rennes defence and working hard for his team.

THE STAT: 7

Rennes are unbeaten in their last seven games in Ligue 1 (6W, 1D).