AS Monaco proceed to the next round of the Coup de France after comfortably seeing out a victory over Stade Rennais at the Stade Louis II.

Two goals in quick succession from Almamy Traore and Wallace settled any early nerves and an Anthony Martial penalty seen off any signs of a comeback after Pedro Henrique scored before the break. 

The match started off slow with little in the way of goalmouth action- Rennes goalkeeper, Benoit Costil, forcefully stepped in to punch any crosses that came into his path.

There were little signs of dominance for either team but there were signs that Monaco were starting to come into the match when Anthony Martial found himself through on goal but was abruptly stopped by Sylvain Armand.

Monaco did go ahead after nine minutes with Almamy Traore heading the ball home from a corner. The cross was swung in but missed their intended target and Traore reacted well to notch the ball by Costil.

Monaco cemented their newly found dominant position after they scored right after kick off. Another cross into the box caused Rennes problems and Wallace flicked a header into the top corner. 

Rennes reacted well to going down two goals so early in the match and caused their opponents a bit of bother. Paul-Georges Ntep looked lively as he burst past Traore and forced a good save by Maarten Stekelenburg's. The ball then fell to Toivonen who shot over the bar.

When Ntep was through again, the winger thought that he'd scored- however the linesman had his flag raised as the ball smashed the net. 

Rennes did eventually get a goal back through Pedro Henrique. The Brazilian winger scored the third header of the match as he met a Romain Danze cross. Henrique got himself between two Monaco defenders and produced a header that gave Stekelenburg no chance.

In the second half Rennes almost had the nightmare start as they looked to get the all important equalizer. Anthony Martial got through one-on-one with Costil but a vital lack of composure meant his eventual shot went just wide of the target.

Rennes best chance of the half to draw level came at the feet of Abdoulaye Doucoure. Ntep placed a low cross into the direction of Doucoure, but the unclinical midfielder proved his reputation as Stekelenburg saved from close range.

Eventually, Anthony Martial did eventually get his name on the score sheet as he calmly slotted a penalty past Costil, ending the tie. Martial won the penalty when Gelson Fernandes tripped the striker in the box with the slightest of touches. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Connor Gordon
Hi, I am from Glasgow, Scotland and at university studying Multimedia Journalism. I have a fondness for French club, Stade Rennais. I try to convey the way I see the game of football into my articles. I hope you enjoy! Contact me on Twitter: @ConnorGordonnn Email: [email protected]