Doku doubles up to fire Rennes past Reims
With just one of the previous 61 Ligue 1 meetings ending goalless, the Roazhon Park prepared itself for a potentially high-scoring encounter, as Rennes cruised to take a two-goal lead within the opening 20 minutes.
Reims found it hard to keep Jeremy Doku within bounds, falling prey to a brace of strikes by the Belgian forward from inside the box, both of which left keeper Yehvann Diouf could do nothing about.
Thereafter, Les Rouges et Noirs only added pressure on the morale-hit visiting backline. They came agonisingly close to adding a third to their tally via Lesley Ugochukwu, whose brilliant effort crashed against the woodwork on the half-hour mark, before Reims responded with a chance of their own.
Bruno Genesio’s outfit held tight though, calmly preserving their two-goal advantage going into the second period.
Reims emerged visibly stronger of the two sides on the other side of the break, but overcoming the hosts’ spirited defensive line was never going to be an easy task.
In turn, Benjamin Bourigeaud threatened the visitors with a pinpoint free-kick that rattled the post, before Arthur Theate wonderfully dinked a left-footed effort into the left corner.
That strike proved to be the final nail in the coffin, as Les rouges et blancs struggled to muster any tangible momentum in the final minutes.
The defeat sees Will Still’s men endure a huge blow with regards to their charge for European qualification, which nonetheless, remains an achievable dream.
Having Inflicted Reims’ first defeat in five away meetings, Rennes rekindle their optimism for a strong Ligue 1 finish towards the business end of the season, now sitting just one place below the top-four despite having played an extra game.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jeremy Doku (Rennes)