Rennes beat Le Mans 3-2 in a French championship match after taking advantage of their numerical superiority in the closing stages.
The home side made the ideal start, moving ahead after only five minutes. Esteban Lepaul opened the scoring, with Adrien Thomasson providing the assist as Rennes established an early lead.
Rennes then doubled their advantage in the 26th minute. Valentin Rongier found the net to put the hosts 2-0 ahead and leave Le Mans facing a difficult task before half-time.
However, the visitors responded strongly and quickly turned the match into a contest. Louis Mafouta pulled a goal back for Le Mans in the 30th minute, giving his side a foothold after Rennes had appeared to be in control.
Mafouta struck again eight minutes after the interval to complete his double and restore parity. His second goal brought Le Mans level at 2-2 and overturned Rennes’ two-goal advantage.
The balance of the match changed again in the 69th minute when Le Mans were reduced to 10 players. Djibril Sidibe was shown a red card, leaving the visitors with more than 20 minutes to defend with a numerical disadvantage.
Rennes increased the pressure as the game entered its final stages. The hosts eventually found the decisive breakthrough when Lepaul converted a penalty, scoring his second goal of the match and giving Rennes a 3-2 lead.
That late spot-kick proved to be the winning goal. Rennes held on to complete a comeback of their own after allowing Le Mans to recover from 2-0 down, while the visitors were unable to respond after Sidibe’s dismissal.
Lepaul was therefore central to the result, opening the scoring in the first half before settling the match from the penalty spot. His two goals secured all three points for Rennes in a game that changed direction several times.
Le Mans had levelled through Mafouta’s brace, but their hopes of completing the turnaround were damaged by the red card. Rennes made their extra player count in the closing stages and claimed victory with the final goal of the match.
The result saw Rennes emerge 3-2 winners in a contest that included five goals, a double for Mafouta, a red card for Sidibe and a decisive penalty for Lepaul.
