AS Monaco and Stade Rennais played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Stade Louis II, but the visitors will feel they should have won the Ligue 1 tie.

Abdoulaye Doucoure opened the scoring just before the break with a header as did Monaco scorer Wallace from 12 yards in the second half. 

Before the match the talk was of the various injuries and suspensions that plagued the Rennes team. Top scorer, Giovanni Sio, didn't make the squad. Monaco, fresh from their Europa League exploits, were looking for a win to get them anywhere near a European position.

The first scoring chance of the game fell to Thomas Lemar who had the task of taking a free kick from the corner of the box. The effort failed to hit the target and stopped any chance of an early lead.

The man from MilanStephan El Shaarawy, was lively in the first half. The Italian was teed up just outside the box but his execution was poor and the shot was always rising over the bar.

Offside goal goes against Rennes...

Having been largely quiet in the offensive, Rennes did get the ball in the net. Paul-Georges Ntep pulled the ball back to Doucoure inside the box, his low shot hit off the post, then rebounded off Ludovic Baal and over the line. Baal was in an offside position when Doucoure hit and the linesman correctly flagged.

Once again it was El Shaarawy who was causing the most bother to the Rennes back line. Firstly, he burst deep into the box and forced an impressive last ditch challenge from Pedro Mendes. Secondly, El Shaarawy managed to evade his markers to get a shot away, only to be denied by the frame of goalkeeper, Abdoulaye Diallo.

...But they take the lead eventually

The spell of complete Monaco dominance was interrupted when Rennes went in front before the break. An early cross by Baal aimed at the six yard box was met by Doucoure who drove in and headed by Danijel Subasic. Rennes finished more positive in the last few minutes of the half.

The Bretons could have doubled their lead not long after the restart through Benjamin Andre. A determined run into the box made enough space for the midfielder to get a cross away inside the box only for it to be deflected off Andrea Raggi. The accidental touch made Subasic lively to parry out the error for a corner. 

Wallace levels up the game

Any early sign of Rennes dominance was soon dispelled as a Wallace header leveled the game. A corner from the left found its way to the scorer who put all his neck muscles behind the ball, leaving Diallo helpless in stopping it.

Rennes had an immediate chance to put the conceded goal behind them when they were awarded a penalty. Left-back, Cheikh M'Bengue, was brought down on an overlapping run  into the box by Fabinho. Brazilian winger, Pedro Henrique, was tasked with the opportunity and hit a feeble penalty which was parried wide by Subasic. 

The bad news kept on coming for Rennes when Ntep pulled up with a suspected hamstring injury. The winger, who was recently called up for the French national team, knew right away whilst on a run into the box and forced himself to the ground for treatment. Polish international, Kamil Grosicki, replaced him in a like-for-like swap.

As the game was coming to a close, Monaco took full advantage of Rennes' most influential player being substituted. Attacking midfielder, João Moutinho, came on to add more firepower in offensive areas for the hosts. His influence was felt right away when his tricky free kick from distance was tipped over the bar by Diallo. 

Another free kick near the end, this time by Lemar, also gave the Rennes faithful a scare. The taker hit the ball sweetly and smacked the top left of the woodwork where the post meets the bar. 

A late Rennes chance by M'Bengue brought no danger to Monaco, however the counter-attack was dangerous. Diallo had to produce more heroics to keep the game level as he blocked Guido Carrillo's close range strike. 

The draw puts Rennes on third place in Ligue 1 and leaves Monaco well behind them on eighth. After the international break, Monaco host Lyon while Rennes entertain OGC Nice

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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]