Lorient emerged 2-1 winners in the latest edition of the Breton derby against Rennes at a packed Stade de Moustoir thanks to a goal from towering defender Isaak Touré. Rennes rue missed chances and defensive errors, not able to kick-on after levelling through Ludovic Blas after a nightmare start via an own goal from Warmed Omari.
THE MATCH
The Breton derby began in the worst possible fashion for the away side, as they went a goal behind with a comedic own goal from Warmed Omari. The Rennes defender’s horrific first touch off Aiyegun Tosin’s cross bounced off the bar, and the 23-year-old failed to clear at the second bite of the cherry and instead bundled the ball into his own net (3’).
Despite the early setback it was the away side - who adorned the white and black of the Breton flag - who set the tempo and threatened the most going forward. Benjamin Bourigaud’s close range strike was blocked by a sliding Isaak Touré only minutes later, as Bruno Génésio’s side looked to get back into the game. They got their just rewards after ten minutes of consistent pressure: Enzo Le Fee, on his return to the Stade Moustoir, triggered a quick passing move involving a pinpoint pass from Amine Gouiri to Ludovic Blas who finished low past Mvogo for a sublime equaliser (20’). It became the former Nantes winger’s second goal of the season, and Gouiri’s first assist of the campaign.
The pressure was piling on Yvon Mvogo’s goal, and the Swiss international had to make several vital stops to deny Rennes. Adrien Truffert peppered the goal with a volley from outside the box and another low long-range effort, which Mvogo parried into the path of Blas but reacted well save on the rebound (26’).
Despite absolute Rennes domination in terms of possession and chances, a foray forward from Les Merlus saw the towering Lorient centre-back Isaak Touré involved in the attacking action. Touré won a header against Belocieni, before another error from Omari gave the 2.06m tall giant an opportunity to emphatically poke the ball home (42’). Lorient scored with their first shot on target shortly before half-time, heading into the break at 2-1.
Lorient were clearly buoyed by their goal scored before the break, even if Rennes tried to deprive them of the ball in the early stages of the second half. Mandanda was called upon twice to save brilliantly from a low strike from Junior Eli Kroupi (54’) and then a powerful header from Touré (59’).
As the all-Breton encounter drew to its conclusion, play settled into a prolonged period of attack vs defence - with the substitutions of the away side adding some extra impetus in attack. Rennes pushed hard and had the ball in the back of the net through Gouiri, but the linesman immediately flagged for offside on the Algerian international (78'). Bruno Génésio's side pushed into injury time, yet Les Merlus stood their ground and saw off the threat to earn the bragging rights over their Breton rivals.
THE PLAYER - Isaak Touré (Lorient)
The towering defender encapsulated Les Merlus' resilience and swashbuckling efficiency going forward in the first half. Touré was as vital in attacking efforts and he was steadfast in his tackling/defensive headers. The two-metre-tall giant showed impressive composure on the ball, with the most touches of any Lorient player before half-time.
THE STAT - Seven
Lorient are unbeaten in their last 7 Ligue 1 Uber Eats matches when leading at half-time (W6, D1) dating back to 1st February 2023 against Reims (L2-4).
