Monaco lose out to classy Rennes with 2-0 defeat

Aymen Abdennour's own goal and a clinical finish from Ola Toivonen have ensured Rennes some breathing space above Monaco in the Ligue 1 table.

They defeated Leonardo Jardim's men 2-0 at the Stade de la Route de Lorient in Ligue 1 this evening.

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The first half did not produce the start that Monaco were hoping for as they looked to usurp Rennes in seventh place, with Abdennour somehow managing to put the ball into his own net with just 10 minutes played.

Monaco's early misery was compounded only minutes later when Rennes marksman Toivonen broke free to latch on to a cross from Paul-Georges Ntep and tuck home into the bottom corner with his right foot.

A desperate-looking Monaco went in search of a route back into the game and Dimitar Berbatov almost found it when he met Bernardo Silva's cross, only to head wide of the post as Rennes went into the interval with a healthy advantage.

The visitors put the pressure on in the second half as they looked for a vital goal, but Elderson Echiejile was denied by the crossbar, before Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco saw his attempt kept out at the bottom corner as Rennes held out for an important win.