Rennes took all three points against Marseille with a 1-0 victory at Roazhon Park on Friday evening, a result that kept them at the summit of Ligue 1 after four rounds. The hosts had already shown they could string results together — wins against Angers and Le Mans, a draw with Paris Saint-Germain — and this was another step forward. To be fair, the match never settled into the rhythm you might expect from two sides with such different form.
Adrien Thomasson broke the deadlock in the fifty-second minute, and that goal stood as the difference for the rest of the evening. Marseille pushed for an equaliser and created chances, but Rennes held firm. By then the visitors had already seen three changes — Angel Gomes, Mousa Al-Tamari, and Igor Paixão among those brought on — as they tried to find a way back into it.
The statistics tell a story that does not match the scoreline. Rennes had 49 per cent possession while Marseille held 51, yet the hosts registered seven shots on target compared to five for the visitors. Expected goals sat at 1.85 for Rennes against 0.97 for Marseille, and the visitors' goalkeeper made six saves to keep the deficit at one. And here's the thing — they created more corners, five to three, but Rennes were more dangerous when it mattered.
Rennes moved to ten points from three wins and a draw, while Marseille remain in eleventh place with just three points from four outings. The gap between the sides is now seven points, and Marseille's recent form — a loss to Monaco and a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain — makes the task ahead harder. The hosts, meanwhile, have shown they can compete with the best and now look comfortable at the top.
