Rennes celebrated a convincing 3-0 victory against financially strong club Lyon in the French league on Sunday.
Benjamin Bourigeaud opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a deflected free kick. Less than a minute later, Amine Gouiri increased the lead to 2-0 for Rennes after a quick counterattack.
Henrik Meister, a Danish striker signed from Rennes this summer, sealed the win with an injury-time goal to cap a dominant performance.
Lyon, which struggled last season, made a poor start to the new campaign despite spending heavily in the transfer window. Striker Georges Mikautadze, bought for €18.5 million ($20 million) after an impressive Euro 2024 campaign with Georgia, failed to take a penalty on Sunday. Lyon centre-back Moussa Niakhaté, a €32 million ($35 million) signing from Nottingham Forest, was responsible for two of the three goals conceded.
In other matches, Auxerre celebrated its return to Ligue 1 with a 2-1 victory over Nice at the Stade de l’Abbé Deschamps. Nice took the lead through a Mohamed-Ali Cho header, but Auxerre equalised before half-time through a Rayan Raveloson goal. Lasso Coulibaly scored the winner in injury time.
Lens beat newly promoted Angers 1-0. Wesley Saïd scored in the first half to ensure a successful start to the league for new coach Will Still.
Toulouse and Nantes drew 0-0, while Montpellier and Strasbourg shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
Lorenz Assignon of Rennes controls the ball during the French League One soccer match between Rennes and Lyon at Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, France, Sunday, August 18, 2024. Photo credit: AP/Jeremias Gonzalez
