Rennes 1-2 Lille
It was a superb evening for Lille’s Portuguese contingent on Wednesday as the Ligue 1 champions earned an impressive win at Rennes.
The goals were scored by Renato Sanches, who was the star of the show, and midfielder Xeka, while captain Jose Fonte praised the performance of defender Tiago Djaló after the match.
Lille arrived at Roazhon Park on a six-match winless run which has seen them languishing in the lower half of the table. Rennes, meanwhile, occupied 2nd place in what has been a superb season for the Brittany club.
Yet is was the visitors who took command of the game in the first half. Renato Sanches’ outstanding pass to find Timothy Weah in the right channel led to a goal for Xeka, before Renato doubled the lead just before the break with a clinical finish.
Benjamin Bourigeaud registered a late consolation for Rennes with five minutes remaining, but the Portuguese goals proved enough for the victory. While Renato and Xeka were the matchwinners, skipper José Fonte made special mention of Tiago Djaló – playing out of position at right-back – during his post-match press interviews.
“I’m very happy with Tiago Djaló, who played on the right side,” the veteran defender said. “It wasn’t easy for us but I’m happy with our performance. It was about suffering, heart and passion. It’s a performance we owed to ourselves. This is what we need to do: show this spirit, even when we aren’t playing well.”
The win moves Lille up to 12th in the table. Next up is a home match against Troyes at the weekend, before Les Dogues travel to Wolfsburg hoping to secure qualification to the knockout phase of the Champions League.
By Sean Gillen
