Rennes are top of Ligue 1. Sebastian Szymanski scored twice and Senegal striker Boulaye Dia opened the scoring as the Breton club swept Strasbourg aside 3-0 at Roazhon Park on Sunday — a result that lifts them to 16 points from eight games, one clear of Lille and Monaco, with champions Paris Saint-Germain now chasing them.
For half an hour this was a contest going nowhere. Neither side found any attacking rhythm, Diogo Sousa shot wide for the visitors and Giovanni Reyna saw a header saved, and the game drifted. Then, in the space of seven minutes either side of the interval's approach, Rennes took it away from Strasbourg completely.
Dia breaks the deadlock, Szymanski takes over
The breakthrough came on 34 minutes. Przemyslaw Frankowski's pass into the area found Boulaye Dia unmarked, and the Senegal international's first-time finish rippled the net. It also extended two remarkable runs: Strasbourg have now failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 16 Ligue 1 matches, while Dia remains unbeaten in his last 29 goalscoring appearances for club and country.
Four minutes before half-time, Rennes doubled the lead. Mahamadou Nagida's ball across the area found its way through to Sebastian Szymanski, whose well-struck first-time finish flew past Filip Jorgensen. Strasbourg, as Reuters reported, were left chasing a game that had already slipped away from them.
Any hope of a comeback died just after the hour. Szymanski collected a pass from Mousa Al-Tamari 25 yards out and unleashed a left-footed curler that went in off the underside of the crossbar — the goal of the weekend in France, and the moment Roazhon Park knew top spot was theirs. The full match report on Flashscore noted that Strasbourg failed to register a single shot on target in the entire second half.
Strasbourg sinking while Rennes dream
The contrast between these two clubs could hardly be sharper. Strasbourg have lost four successive Ligue 1 matches and sit in the relegation play-off spot on seven points. A defence that cannot keep a clean sheet — 16 games and counting — is dragging down a squad with genuine talent in it, and the second-half surrender at Roazhon Park, without a single effort on target, will alarm everyone at the club.
Rennes, meanwhile, have built their rise quietly. While Marseille were producing the chaos of the day in their 4-3 thriller against Le Havre, Rennes simply took care of business: an African finisher in Dia who guarantees goals, a Polish playmaker in Szymanski producing match-winning quality, and a defensive display that never gave Strasbourg a route back.
So what happens next?
Rennes' stay at the summit could be brief — and that is what makes Monday night fascinating. Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, both on 14 points, meet at the Parc des Princes on Monday in a match moved from Sunday after police raised security concerns. A winner there joins or passes Rennes; a draw keeps the Breton club top on their own.
Lille and Monaco, level on 15 points after their 1-1 draw earlier on Sunday — Ethan Mbappe's opener cancelled out by Edan Diop after Tanguy Nianzou's dismissal — are also within a single point. As our coverage of Lens' win over Paris FC showed on Saturday, this is shaping up as the most open Ligue 1 title race in years, with five clubs separated by two points.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Nobody sensible had Rennes top of Ligue 1 in late October, and that is precisely why this matters. PSG's dominance has made French football predictable for a decade, but a race with Rennes, Lille, Monaco, Lyon and Lens all within touching distance is a league worth watching every single week. Szymanski's second goal was not just beautiful — it was a statement. The question is no longer whether Rennes can reach the top. They are there. It is whether anyone in France still believes they will simply hand it back.
Can Rennes still be top of Ligue 1 at Christmas — or will PSG's machine inevitably roll over them? Have your say in the comments.
