Although it was a scoreless first half, Lorient withstood Rennes' offensive attack. Julien Stéphan and his team had 11 total shots in the first 45 minutes but couldn't register a goal.

Rennes would also record 11 total shots in the second half, but Lorient opened the scoring. Mohamed Bamba, despite not scoring last week against FC Nantes continued his impressive goal-scoring form after netting the opening goal in the 59th minute.

Bamba's goal against Rennes also earned him a prestigious spot in a select group. The 22-year-old became only the fourth player in the 21st century to score his first six goals in six Ligue 1 matches or fewer, following in the footsteps of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (five matches in 2012), Mario Balotelli (five games in 2016) and Neymar (six games in 2017).

In the 90th minute, Lorient secured an insurance goal thanks to Eli Junior Kroupi. This second goal turned out to be crucial, especially since Rennes managed to score during stoppage time in the second half. Régis Le Bris and his team would hold on to pick up all three points, avoiding conceding a late equalizing goal.

Le @FCLorient remporte le derby face au @staderennais.

Des buts de Mohamed Bamba et Junior Kroupi.

👊🔥 pic.twitter.com/vDuljTTKH5

— FC LORIENT 🐟 (@FCLorient) March 3, 2024

Rennes suffered their first league loss since December 9, ending their impressive streak of eight games without defeat, which included six wins and two draws. They'll look for a bounce-back win next weekend against LOSC Lille. 

As for Lorient, they're now out of any relegation places and will aim to stay out of those positions when they face Olympique Lyonnais next weekend.