PLAYER RATINGS | Rennes 0-2 Lille: Nabil Bentaleb scores on his return following cardiac arrest | OneFootball

Ligue 1 McDonald’s Matchday 22, 16/02/2025

Lille return to winning ways at Rennes to leapfrog Lyon in fifth. Les Dogues had to wait Christopher Wooh’s red card to pounce courtesy of Nabil Bentaleb, who had just resumed his career after a cardiac arrest, and Chuba Akpom, who replaced the absent Jonathan David.

The Match

Bruno Genesio’s homecoming at Roazhon Park didn’t really start to a flyer as both teams engaged in a chess game, and a rather low-quality and slow-paced one too. Lille centre-back Bafodé Diakité tested Brice Samba early on, but his shot at the back post lacked power and venom. Samba’s France teammate between the sticks, Lucas Chevalier, had very little to do because Rennes did not register a single shot on target in the first half.

With France’s goalkeeping coach Franck Raviot watching on from the stands, Samba would get his share of the spotlight. In the dying minutes of the first half, Christopher Wooh handled Ngal’ayel Mukau’s shot and Romain Lissorgue was called to consult the on-pitch monitor before awarding the visitors a penalty. In the absence of Jonathan David, Chuba Akpom stepped up but his attempt was low and not powerful enough for Samba, who dove to his right to catch the ball with both hands.

Samba will make another save in front of Bakker in the second half, but Lille’s grip on the game tightened as Rennes never had quite the chance to control proceedings. The game’s turning point occurred in the 74th minute when Christopher Wooh was shown a rather logical red card. Six minutes later, Lille would score courtesy of an unexpected hero. Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who had just come on after receiving the all-clear to resume his career following a cardiac arrest last summer, tapped in at the far post after Samba had parried Akpom’s header.

Five minutes later, Akpom would finally be rewarded for his efforts in doubling his side’s lead as Rennes collapsed following Wooh’s red card. Lille return to winning ways after losing last week at home against Le Havre. As for Rennes, Habib Beye lost his first game as head coach.

Rennes player ratings

Brice Samba – 7

The France international goalkeeper chose the right moment to shine as Les Bleus’ goalkeeping coach Franck Raviot was watching on. Samba showed tremendous reflexes to not only save but catch Akpom’s penalty. The former Lens goalie tormented his Nord rivals with a flurry of excellent saves but there was little he could do to prevent Lille’s two goals.

Lorenz Assignon – 4

Jérémy Jacquet – 5

Christopher Wooh – 3

A difficult night for the Rennes centre-back. He conceded a penalty in handling Mukau’s effort in the first half. He was sent off in the last fifteen minutes for tripping Akpom as the last man in front of Rennes’ six-yard box. After his dismissal, his side completely collapsed.

Lilian Brassier – 5

Adrien Truffert – 5

Jérémy Jacquet – 6

Djaoui Cissé – 6

Ismaël Koné – 5

Ludovic Blas – 5

Mousa Al-Tamari – 4

Arnaud Kalimuendo – 3

Lille player ratings

Lucas Chevalier – 5

Thomas Meunier – 5

Alexsandro – 6

Bafodé Diakité – 5

Ismaily – 6

Ayyoub Bouaddi – 6

Benjamin André – 6

Ngal’ayel Mukau – 5

Hakon Haraldsson – 4

Chuba Akpom – 5

The former AFC Ajax centre-forward was tasked to fill in in the absence of Jonathan David. At first, he failed to strike an understanding with his teammates and when he got the chance to open the scoring from the spot-kick, Samba guessed the right way to catch his attempt. He was nonetheless rewarded for his efforts in doubling his side’s lead when Rennes was temporarily reduced to nine players.

Mitchel Bakker – 5

GFFN | Bastien Cheval – reporting from Rennes