Rennes beats Bruges in friendly, Monaco suffers defeat in Lisbon

In a summer friendly clash, Stade Rennais secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Belgian champions Club Bruges, with both goals coming from their dynamic attacking duo. Estéban Lepaul, the club’s top scorer from last season’s Ligue 1 campaign, opened the scoring just before halftime with his third goal of the preseason, while Issa Soumaré, a new summer signing from Le Havre, sealed the win with a late strike. Despite a late consolation goal for Bruges and a penalty saved by young goalkeeper Kilian Belazzoug, Rennes emerged victorious at the Roazhon Park, maintaining their strong preseason form.

The victory follows a convincing 3-0 win against Guingamp just a week prior, further solidifying Rennes’ confidence ahead of the Ligue 1 campaign. Their next challenge comes on August 2, when they face Galatasaray in another preseason fixture.

Monaco’s struggles continue in Lisbon

Monaco endured another disappointing outing, falling 2-0 to Sporting CP in Lisbon. Without key players like Balogun, Camara, Zakaria, Akliouche, and the legendary Paul Pogba, Monaco struggled to create meaningful chances against a well-organized Sporting side. Despite a solid defensive line featuring Kehrer and Dier, along with goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, the team was undone by two second-half goals—first a header from Rafael Nel in the 54th minute, followed by a curling effort from Jesse Derry in the 68th. Hradecky made crucial saves, including one off the post, to prevent a heavier defeat as Monaco looks to regroup against Cercle Bruges next week.

This loss follows a disastrous 7-0 thrashing by Sporting in their opening preseason match, highlighting the team’s inconsistency in these early fixtures. Their focus now shifts to regrouping before the Ligue 1 opener against Marseille.

Strasbourg’s preseason woes persist

Racing Club de Strasbourg also suffered a setback, losing 2-0 to English Championship side Blackburn Rovers. After conceding an early own goal from Andrew Omobamidele, Strasbourg’s Polish goalkeeper Milosz Piekutowski made key saves to keep them in the game. However, young English forward Samuel Amo-Ameyaw missed a penalty, squandering a crucial opportunity. Blackburn capitalized late, with Todd Cantwell’s long-range strike sealing the win. Strasbourg will now turn their attention to their next friendly before facing Olympique de Marseille in the league opener.

Other preseason results

• Lens and Charleroi played to a 2-2 draw.
• Angers defeated Créteil 2-1 in a tightly contested match.
• Troyes dominated Grenoble with a 3-0 win.
• Le Mans edged out Nantes 1-0 in a lower-league clash.
• Guingamp fell 2-0 to Lorient in Ligue 2 action.
• Union Saint-Gilloise upset Lille with a 2-1 victory.
• Auxerre lost 2-1 to Orléans in a lower-league fixture.
• Marseille suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against Nice.
• Le Havre secured a 2-1 win over Red Star.
• Toulouse and Rodez played out a 1-1 draw.