Stade Rennais suffered a setback on Sunday night, falling 2-0 at home to Lille in what was their first major disappointment under head coach Habib Beye.
Reduced to ten men following Christopher Wooh’s red card, Rennes struggled to cope with Lille’s intensity, ultimately conceding late goals from Nabil Bentaleb in the 80th minute and Chuba Akpom in the 86th.
After the match, Beye acknowledged that his team was outclassed by a more composed and experienced Lille side.
I think we came up against a more mature team from the start of the match.
They managed to get us out a lot. Even if we had some situations to negotiate better, they were always in a form of control that we never regained, he explained.
Tactical difficulties and key absences
Rennes faced further challenges after Wooh’s sending-off and an injury to Kyogo Furuhashi, which left them struggling to maintain their structure.
Beye highlighted how Lille exploited these weaknesses, dictating play and forcing Rennes to chase the ball.
Lille were better in occupying the field and in the way they made us run.
We were facing a Champions League team, we saw it this evening.
They were superior to us,” he admitted.
While Beye recognized his side’s shortcomings in the attacking third, he praised their attitude and resilience despite the circumstances.
In the last choices we had to make in the last thirty meters, we lacked the weight to put them under pressure.
But I really liked the state of mind of my boys,” he added.
Rennes need a quick response
Currently 13th in Ligue 1, Rennes must regroup quickly as they prepare for their next fixture against Stade de Reims.
With European qualification slipping further from reach, Beye will be looking for a strong response from his squad to get their season back on track.
