PSG title chances dented by 1-1 draw at Rennes

Neymar opened the scoring with a penalty for PSG but was equalised by Rennes in the 70th minute, leaving the defending champion three short of leader Lille on Sunday.

Published : May 10, 2021 08:14 IST

Neymar opened the scoring with a penalty on the stroke of halftime but Serhou Guirassy equalised in the 70th minute to leave PSG, who finished with 10 men after Presnel Kimpembe was sent off in the 87th minute, on 76 points. (FILE PHOTO)
Neymar opened the scoring with a penalty on the stroke of halftime but Serhou Guirassy equalised in the 70th minute to leave PSG, who finished with 10 men after Presnel Kimpembe was sent off in the 87th minute, on 76 points. (FILE PHOTO)
lightbox-info

Neymar opened the scoring with a penalty on the stroke of halftime but Serhou Guirassy equalised in the 70th minute to leave PSG, who finished with 10 men after Presnel Kimpembe was sent off in the 87th minute, on 76 points. (FILE PHOTO)

Paris St Germain's Ligue 1 title hopes took a major knock on Sunday when the defending champion was held to a 1-1 draw at Stade Rennes, leaving Lille holding a three-point advantage at the top with two games remaining.

Neymar opened the scoring with a penalty on the stroke of halftime but Serhou Guirassy equalised in the 70th minute to leave PSG, who finished with 10 men after Presnel Kimpembe was sent off in the 87th minute, on 76 points.

Lille, on 79 after thrashing neighbour RC Lens 3-0 away on Friday, needs four points from its last two matches against mid-table St Etienne and Angers to guarantee its first Ligue 1 title since 2011.

READ:

Monaco is third on 74 points after beating Stade de Reims 1-0 away earlier on Sunday, one point ahead of fourth-placed Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Lorient 4-1 on Saturday.

PSG, who was knocked out in the Champions League semi-finals by Manchester City on Tuesday, could face the prospect of finishing the season without a major trophy.

Mauricio Pochettino's side travel to Montpellier in the French Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

"When you are PSG you have to do much better than that. Lille are very good, very strong. There are two matches left but we have to believe," said PSG captain Marquinhos.

There was a minute's silence in memory of former PSG and Rennes goalkeeper Christophe Revault, who died earlier this week at the age of 49.

PSG threatened early on through Ander Herrera and Neymar, but Rennes was quick on the break, with Jeremy Doku proving a nightmare to handle for Layvin Kurzawa on the right flank.

The visitor was awarded a penalty by referee Ruddy Buquet after a VAR review although it appeared Nayef Aguerd's contact with Kurzawa happened after the PSG fullback had fired over.

ALSO READ:

Neymar converted the spot kick six minutes into added time in the first half.

Doku, 18, continued to torment PSG's defence after the break but the Rennes goal came from a set piece as Guirassy headed the ball into the top corner from Benjamin Bourigeaud's corner.

Once again, PSG lost its cool and centre back Kimpembe was shown a straight red card for a brutal challenge on Doku, leaving its defence exposed for the final minutes.

It took a superb save by Keylor Navas to deny Flavien Tait in added time to salvage a point for PSG, who is chasing a fourth successive Ligue 1 title.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment