Fernández and Haraldsson fire Lille up to fifth | OneFootball

Lille beat Rennes 2-1 at Roazhon Park to climb from seventh to fifth in Ligue 1, with the hosts dropping to seventh.

Matías Fernández struck in the second minute, finishing after Nathan Ngoy's through ball split the defence. After the restart, Hakon Arnar Haraldsson tapped in from Fernández's pass on a fast break (47). Estéban Lepaul halved the deficit with a left-footed finish from the centre of the box (59).

Berke Ozer made key saves as the visitors protected their lead, while Aïssa Mandi anchored the back line with 10 clearances. Ngoy was prominent at both ends, supplying the opener and blocking danger in his own area.

Franck Haise turned to the bench midway through the second half and Rennes pushed on, with Przemysław Frankowski adding crosses and Sebastian Szymański testing Ozer from range. Six minutes were added at the end but Lille's defence held firm.

Rennes saw more of the ball, recording 59.4% possession and 12 attempts with four on target. Lille posted eight attempts and made 36 clearances to see the game out.

Lepaul's strike takes him to 14 league goals this season, second in the Ligue 1 scoring chart.

Rennes host Metz next. Lille visit Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League next.