A solitary goal from Paul-Georges Ntep earned Rennes a slender 1-0 victory over Metz at the Stade de la Route-de-Lorient in Ligue 1 this evening.
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Metz's Modibo Maiga went close in the opening stages of the game when he forced a good stop from Benoit Costil down low at his bottom-right corner.
Rennes sought to hit back through Pedro Henrique, but he could not keep his header down as he was wasteful following a cross from Romain Danze.
The hosts took the lead in the 20th minute thanks to Ntep, who profited from Abdoulaye Doucoure's pass to slot past Johann Carrasso.
Although few chances fell to Metz in the second period, they might have stolen a point right at the death through Maiga, but his header was somehow kept out at the bottom-right corner.
The last-gasp action was not over yet, though, as Rennes thought they had grabbed a second in injury time when Ntep rattled the post with a thunderous strike from distance, but his earlier strike was enough for a 1-0 win.
Christopher Dodd
