Rennes continue their impressive UEFA Europa League campaign
Rennes began full of intent, and Amine Gouiri came within inches of giving Rennes a third-minute lead, only to see a half-chance go wide, before a series of intricate passes and a backheel from Flavien Tait through the Dynamo lines ended with an unmarked Martin Terrier hitting a low shot just beyond the left post on the quarter-hour mark. But he would atone just seven minutes later, perfectly timing a run into the box and firing high into the net from a narrow angle, after Gouiri played him in with a jinking through-ball.
Terrier’s fourth goal in five games across all competitions was a well-deserved one, but it would be cancelled out against the run of play, when a shrewd ball from the left sliced through Rennes backline to Vitaliy Buyalskyi inside the area. His sideways pass found the lurking Viktor Tsyhankov, and while his first shot was saved well by Steve Mandanda, there was no stopping his follow-up, which he hammered into the roof of the net to restore parity.
The remainder of the first half was more even, but Rennes still appeared marginally stronger up to HT. They continued in that vein immediately after the interval, with Lorenz Assignon firing over the bar after a quick break from Rennes saw the ball fall to him via several deflections. The hosts predictably resumed dominance of possession, and with summer arrival Arnaud Kalimuendo also being deployed, Rennes looked to move in for the kill.
But it was fellow substitute Désiré Doué who snatched the points instead as the 90th minute loomed, stealing the ball from a ponderous Denys Popov, and dummying the goalkeeper to slot home into an empty net. In turn, Rennes remain level on points with Fenerbahçe in what may soon become a two-horse race for top spot, while Dynamo are now looking back on just one win from nine UEL away games.
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