Kevin Gameiro thought he had broken the deadlock after a tetchy opening 20 minutes, but VAR ruled he was in an offside position after applying a first-time finish from Habib Diallo's ball across the box. The hosts had that familiar feeling of despair once again when Gerzino Nyamsi was harshly shown a straight red card for a high-footed challenge on Benjamin Bourigeaud. Arnaud Kalimuendo then rubbed salt into Strasbourg’s gaping wounds after he brilliantly latched onto Adrien Truffert's cross and fired a clinical left-footed volley past Matz Sels to give Rennes the lead. Les Rouge et Noir came within inches of doubling their advantage, as Martin Terrier’s long-range strike cannoned off the bar just seconds before the HT whistle.
Terrier added his name to the scoresheet just four minutes into the second half though, slotting in Kalimuendo’s cross after being allowed to ghost into the box unmarked. Bruno Génésio's men smelled blood, and Flavien Tait came within inches of adding a third Rennes goal when his attempt went a whisker wide of the post. It was game over just past the hour mark, as Amine Gouiri stroked the ball home following some sublime link-up play involving Bourigeaud and Kalimuendo, which sliced open an already porous Strasbourg defence.
However, Julien Stéphan’s side were handed a lifeline when Gameiro was brought down in the box by Hamari Traoré, allowing Diallo to confidently dispatch the resulting spot-kick. The goal only proved to be a consolation though on another disappointing afternoon for Les Bleu et Blanc, who remain winless after nine games and languish inside the relegation zone. Meanwhile, the three points for Génésio's side helps to exorcise a few demons on the road, having failed to win any of their previous seven league games away from Roazhon Park.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Arnaud Kalimuendo (Stade Rennais)