Brice Samba saves penalty for Rennes against Angers, reassures Didier Deschamps before the World Cup | OneFootball

Brice Samba’s penalty save kept Rennes on track against Angers and showed Didier Deschamps he can trust him as France’s deputy for the World Cup.

According to L'Équipe, Breel Embolo had missed a 3-1 chance from Ludovic Blas in the 71st minute before going off soon after, leaving Rennes exposed. Referee Mathieu Vernice awarded a penalty, upheld by VAR, although Prosper Peter seemed to charge rather than be fouled by Przemyslaw Frankowski. Franck Haise said it should not have stood.

Samba, 31, bounced on his line, guessed left and beat away Sbaï’s effort with his fists on 77 minutes. Embolo exhaled on the bench as Rennes secured a second straight win, after the 4-3 derby at Brest on 4 April. Their European push remains alive.

Since arriving in winter 2025, Samba has saved four of eight Ligue 1 penalties, at least two more than any rival. Across his career he has stopped 10 of 51, a 19.6% rate, with three others missed.

That form contrasts with his Lens stint from 5 July 2022 to 7 January 2025, when he faced 16 and saved only Floran Balogun’s for Monaco in a 2-3 defeat on 25 February 2024.

With Lucas Chevalier out of Paris-SG’s XI, Deschamps has reshaped the order behind Mike Maignan for the World Cup, 11 June to 19 July in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Samba earned his fourth cap in the 3-1 win over Colombia on 29 March. Rennes’ European bid will surely rest on his gloves.

Source: L'Équipe