Rennes beats Strasbourg 3-0 in Ligue 1

Rennes secured a 3-0 victory over Strasbourg in the 8th round of Ligue 1 on Sunday, with Sebastian Szymanski scoring two goals and contributing to the team's dominant performance.

Rennes climbs Ligue 1 standings

Rennes took advantage of other results in the league, including Paris FC's 2-1 defeat to Lens on Friday, the 1-1 draw between Monaco and Lille, and the postponement of the Paris SG versus Lyon match to Monday. These results allowed Rennes to temporarily take the lead in the standings with 16 points, two points more than PSG and Lyon.

Strasbourg near the bottom of Ligue 1

Following the heavy loss, Strasbourg is now in 16th place with 7 points, making them a virtual relegation candidate. The team has the worst defense in Ligue 1, having conceded 18 goals this season, the same number of goals scored by Rennes, who have the best attack in the league.

Rennes' formation proves effective

Franck Haise introduced a 3-5-2 formation in the match, which had previously been used against Juventus Turin in a 2-2 draw. The formation proved effective in managing weak moments in the game. The home team conceded very few opportunities, with the notable exception of a powerful shot by Conrad Harder, who had almost signed with Rennes in the summer of 2025, which was barely pushed away by Brice Samba (26th minute), and a last-minute save by Charlie Cresswell just before his line (75th minute).

Rennes struggles to find rhythm early

Offensively, Rennes was slow to get going. Mousa Al Tamari, well positioned by Mahamadou Nagida, who was once again excellent, hesitated at the 29th minute, before the Jordanian and Boulaye Dia, just in front of him, missed a cross from Szymanski (31st minute). Dia and Al Tamari also almost took advantage of defensive gifts with passes back to the goalkeeper that were not sufficiently supported (26th, 44th minutes).

Szymanski scores twice in key moments

The match eventually turned on an almost mundane action. Whether it was a shot or a cross, the powerful strike by Przemyslaw Frankowski became a decisive pass, which was instinctively converted by Dia, who appeared at the very edge of offside to score from close range (1-0, 35th minute). Six minutes later, on a much more constructed play, Al Tamari perfectly moved Nagida, who crossed back. The feint by Dia, which was worth a decisive pass, allowed Szymanski to double the lead (2-0, 41st minute). The best was yet to come for Rennes and the Polish player, with a beautifully curled shot from the left that cleanly cleared the right goalpost of Filip Jörgensen for the 3-0 (61st minute).