Stade Rennais secured their first victory of the 2026/27 Ligue 1 season with a thrilling 3-2 win over Le Mans in the first top-flight meeting between the sides since 2010.
Rennes, buoyed by their impressive 2-2 draw against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain last weekend, made a flying start. Esteban Lepaul opened the scoring after just five minutes with a crisp finish, taking his tally to two goals in as many matches.
The hosts quickly doubled their advantage when Valentin Rongier produced a superb finish to make it 2-0. Le Mans responded just four minutes later, with Louis Mafouta poking home Lucas Calodat’s dangerous delivery to score the club’s first Ligue 1 goal in 16 years.
The visitors carried that momentum into the second half and eventually drew level. After a VAR review determined that Przemyslaw Frankowski had deliberately handled the ball inside the box, Mafouta confidently converted the resulting penalty to complete his brace.
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Both sides pushed for a winner as the game entered its final stages, with Rennes coming close through Mousa Al Tamari, whose effort was brilliantly saved by Nicolas Kocik.
Le Mans were reduced to 10 men when substitute Djibril Sidibé was shown a straight red card just seconds after coming on for a dangerous challenge on Lepaul.
Despite being a man down, Le Mans looked set to hold on for a point. Ludovic Blas struck the post for Rennes, while Kocik denied Lepaul again.
However, deep into stoppage time, Rennes were awarded another penalty after VAR confirmed that Noa Boisse had brought down Arnaud Nordin. Lepaul stepped up and emphatically converted from the spot to seal a dramatic victory and complete his hat-trick.
The result gives Rennes their first win of the campaign and ensures they do not suffer another collapse after surrendering a two-goal lead last weekend.
For Le Mans, the wait for their first Ligue 1 victory since returning to the top flight continues, with the visitors left frustrated after battling back from two goals down only to lose in the final moments.
