Ligue 1: Valentin Rongier the executioner of FC Nantes, LOSC level with OL, epic match between Le Havre and Metz.

On Sunday, the traditional Ligue 1 afternoon multiplex offered us three exciting matches to follow closely for the standings. Traveling to Rennes for the Breton derby, FC Nantes needed to secure a victory to continue believing in their survival in the elite league. With Vahid Halilhodzic suspended and in the stands, the Canaries presented a competitive lineup to challenge Stade Rennais, who could move within one point of OL, third place, with a win. Right off the bat, Franck Haise’s men attacked and were quickly rewarded. After a poorly managed exit by Lopes facing Al-Tamari, Benoît Bastien pointed to the penalty spot. Without hesitation, Ligue 1’s top scorer, Esteban Lepaul, beat the former OL goalkeeper, who had the right direction (1-0, 8th). Despite two responses from Cozza (16th, 31st), Rennes was more incisive and hurt the Canaries in this derby between Bretons. Finally, they leveled the score just before half-time. Taking advantage of a misjudgment by Ait-Boudlal, Ignatius Ganago faced Samba and lobbed his former RC Lens teammate brilliantly (1-1, 40th).

In the aftermath, the Cameroonian was close to doubling the lead (43rd). Upon returning from the break, Rennes responded again. Driven by the Roazhon Park crowd, Lepaul’s teammates thought they had taken the lead again, but the top scorer’s goal was disallowed for an offside position by Al-Tamari on the play (59th). A warning for Nantes, who fought back. Engaged in a spirited match, the Nantes players pushed forward, but Merlin (65th) with a brave save and Samba (67th) frustrated Nantes. Finally, after a last quarter of an hour of back-and-forth, Rennes made the difference in the 9 minutes of stoppage time. On a poorly cleared corner, Valentin Rongier (almost) sent Nantes to Ligue 2 with a vicious left-footed strike (2-1, 90+2nd). Despite a final effort, Nantes failed to equalize and remains 17th. Avoided relegation mathematically, FCN will have to win next week against Marseille. On the other hand, Rennes is following the pace of OL and Lille in fifth place. Rennes will need to do the job against Lyon next week to keep their last hopes alive for the Champions League.

In the meantime, Lille faced Paris FC on the field. Undefeated since the arrival of Antoine Kombouaré as coach, the Parisian club had managed to hold their ground against many top teams in the championship this season (OM, OL, Monaco). But nothing went as expected this Saturday. Shy and offensively subdued by the Dogues, the Parisians conceded Matias Fernandez-Pardo’s opening goal from the penalty spot (0-1, 26th). After a rather dull first half, the pace picked up in the second half, as shown by a crossbar hit by the Lille number 7 (66th). More inspired with the introductions of Kebbal and Koleosho, PFC pushed and almost equalized from a penalty. However, the Algerian saw his shot hit the post (74th). Late in the game, Paris FC was reduced to ten after Lees-Melou’s outburst against Mathieu Vernice (86th). Thereafter, the score remained unchanged, and Lille collected their 17th victory of the season, pulling them level with OL in fourth place.

The other match in the multiplex was a thrilling encounter between Le Havre and Metz. While Samatta quickly opened the scoring, Tsitaishvili responded shortly after. A few minutes later, Yassine Kechta confirmed this explosive start with a crazy left-footed strike (2-1, 13th). Just before the break, the determined Messins equalized from a penalty thanks to Gauthier Hein (2-2, 45+2nd). The second half was just as chaotic. As Zouaoui regained the advantage for HAC from the penalty spot, Pandore quickly equalized for the Grenats (3-3, 54th). At the hour mark, Doucouré thought he had given Le Havre a definitive advantage (4-3, 61st). Finally, late in the game, Metz equalized through Hein’s brace (4-4, 85th). With this unexpected draw, Metz stays afloat even though their chances of survival are slim at best. On the other hand, Le Havre has not officially secured their place in the elite league.

Results at 5:15 PM:

Rennes 2-1 Nantes: Lepaul (8th), Rongier (90+2nd) / Ganago (40th)

Le Havre 4-4 Metz: Samatta (5th), Kechta (13th), Zouaoui (52nd), Doucouré (61st) / Tsitaishvili (9th), Hein (45+5th, 85th), Pandore (54th)

Paris FC 0-1 Lille: Fernandez-Pardo (26th)

Published on April 26, 2026 7:16 PM / Updated on April 26, 2026 10:54 PM