PLAYER RATINGS | Rennes 4-5 Brest: Pirates edge thrilling Brittany Derby win to secure European qualification | OneFootball

After suffering back-to-back losses against Lyon and Monaco, Champions League hopefuls Brest take on Brittany rivals Rennes at the Roazhon Park to leapfrog third-placed Lille. Meanwhile, the hosts had the opportunity to reduce their deficit to sixth-placed Lens to a single point. Julien Stéphan’s side started brilliantly in a raucous atmosphere. In the fourth minute, Azor Matusiwa fed Arnaud Kalimuendo inches from offside for the France U21 international to find Marco Bizot’s bottom corner.

Rennes’ No. 9 was on target a mere minutes later after Bizot failed to catch Désiré Doué’s inviting cross, providing him the easiest of tap-ins. Rennes were 2-0 up before we even reached the game’s tenth minute and seemingly out of sight. But Brest were in no mood to down tools. Only two minutes after Kalimuendo’s second strike, former Huddersfield striker Steve Mounié halved his side’s deficit after Steve Mandanda initially parried his towering header, thus concluding a three-goal blitz in seven minutes!

Les Ty-Zeffs were struggling to find any cracks in Rennes’ defense with Martin Satriano and Pierre Lees-Melou found lacking. Not for the first time this season, Brest were also conceding cheap fouls aplenty. Rennes entered half-time with the lead and the upper hand. However, the hosts surrendered their lead minutes into the second half, with all but themselves to blame, Warmed Omari finding his own net in trying to clear Mahdi Camara’s cross from the left. Problems deepened for the hosts when an unmarked Satriano rifled a bullet header in Mandanda’s top corner. The visitors were 2-0 down and were now in the lead!

Stéphan rang in the changes with Adrien Truffert and Amine Gouiri coming to the fore. However, Brest were ruthless in front of goal. Camara lashed out a powerful volley from Arthur Theate’s poorly-headed clearance for the visitors’s fourth goal. But the game was not called just yet. The Belgian international centre-back made amends for it with a powerful effort at the edge of the box for the afternoon’s seventh strike! The Roazhon Park then went berserk when Martin Terrier deflected home Benjamin Bourigeaud’s free-kick, restoring parity and setting this thrilling rain-soaked Brittany derby for a grandstand finish!

Brest players looked shattered by the way the game slipped through their hands and it was Rennes who finished stronger in all areas of the pitch. Brest had the last kick of the game with Matthias Pereira Lage curling a brilliant effort for Lilian Brassier to win it at the death in the seventh minute of injury time. Cue incredible scenes in the away end. Brestwill, at the very least, play in the UEFA Conference League next season.

Rennes players ratings

Steve Mandanda, 4

Guéla Doué, 4

Warmed Omari, 2

A simply disastrous shift from the centre-back. He mistimed Mounié’s run for the latter’s goal and crumbled under pressure in scoring the all-important equalizing own goal. Particularly panicky.

Arthur Theate, 4

Jeanuël Belocian, 4

Benjamin Bourigeaud, 6

Baptiste Santamaria, 5

Azor Matusiwa, 5

Désiré Doué, 5

Arnaud Kalimuendo, 7

On the back of his two goal contributions last week at Nantes, the former PSG youth product provided his teammates a two-goal lead inside the first ten minutes. First with a powerful and precise effort and then by an easy tap-in.

Martin Terrier, 6

Brest players ratings

Marco Bizot, 5

The Dutch goalkeeper should have done better in dealing with Doué’s inswinging cross, weakly palming it away for Kalimuendo to score. Thankfully, he redeemed himself with some vital saves that earned him the status of one of Ligue 1’s best performers between the sticks.

Kenny Lala, 5

Brendan Chardonnet, 6

Lilian Brassier, 7

Bradley Locko, 7

Pierre Lees-Melou, 5

Mahdi Camara, 7

The midfielder was imperious throughout and got two goal contributions to his name, the cross leading to Omari’s own goal and a powerful volley for Brest’s fourth strike. It has not gone unnoticed that Rennes were all over their opponents when he was replaced midway into the second half. The same goes for Magnetti.

Hugo Magnetti, 6

Romain Del Castillo, 5

Steve Mounié, 7

The former Huddersfield player was a menace in Rennes’ box with his physicality. He lit the spark for Brest’s unlikely come-back and got Theate and Omari in all kinds of problems, forcing the latter to an own goal.

Martin Satriano, 6

GFFN | Bastien Cheval