RENNES, France — Paris St.-Germain (PSG) suffered their first defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-0 at Stade Rennais on Sunday to drop their first Ligue 1 points of the season.
Rennes won thanks to goals by Gaetan Laborde and Flavian Tait either side of the interval to end PSG’s eight-game winning run in the league and inflict their first away defeat in the competition for eight months.
PSG, beaten in the pre-season Trophy of Champions by Lille, stayed top of the standings with 24 points from nine games, six ahead of second-placed RC Lens who beat Stade de Reims 2-0 on Friday.
Five days after an impressive win over Manchester City in the Champions League, PSG got off to a lively start, but lacked sharpness as Neymar skied a close-range attempt over the bar in the 22nd minute.
Lionel Messi’s 25-meter free kick crashed against the crossbar and, although he combined well with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, the visitors struggled to break the deadlock.
Rennes, who had less than 72 hours to recuperate after beating Vitesse Arnhem in the Conference League on Thursday, went ahead on the stroke of half time in clinical fashion. Having failed to manage a shot on target in the first half, PSG were caught cold straight after the interval as Tait fired home from Laborde’s cross.
The hugely disappointing Neymar was substituted by Mauro Icardi in the 76th minute, but the Argentine failed to inspire PSG who also failed to muster a shot on target in the second half. — Reuters
