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RENNES, France - Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-0 at Rennes on Sunday to drop their first Ligue 1 points of the season.
Rennes won thanks to goals by Gaëtan Laborde and Flavian Tait each side of the interval to end PSG's eight-game winning run in the league.
PSG, only previously beaten in the pre-season Trophée des Champions by Lille, stayed top of the standings with 24 points, six ahead of second-placed Lens who beat Reims 2-0 on Friday. Rennes moved up to seventh on 12 points.
Five days after an impressive win over Manchester City in the Champions League, PSG got off to a lively start but lacked sharpness as Neymar skied a close-range attempt over the bar in the 22nd minute. Lionel Messi's 27-yard free kick crashed against the crossbar and although he combined well with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, the visitors struggled to break the deadlock.
¡TIRO LIBRE DE MESSI AL TRAVESAÑO! ❌
Se le sigue negando el gol al crack argentino en l @Ligue1_ESP¡Vive el @staderennais @psg_espanol en vivo por beIN SPORTS! #SRFCPSG #Ligue1 pic.twitter.com/BT5Y8fcnwO
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) October 3, 2021
Rennes, who had less than 72 hours to recuperate after beating Vitesse in the Europa League on Thursday, went ahead on the stroke of halftime in clinical fashion. Laborde netted his sixth goal of the season by volleying home from Kamaldeen Sulemana's cross.
⚽️ Gaetan Laborde le da la ventaja a los de casa al final del primer tiempo@staderennais 1-0 @PSG_espanol ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/G0WlIaV6L7
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) October 3, 2021
Having failed to manage a single shot on target in the first half, PSG were caught cold straight after the interval as Tait fired home from Laborde's cross.
The hugely disappointing Neymar was substituted by Mauro Icardi in the 76th minute but the Argentine failed to inspire PSG who also failed to muster a shot on target in the second half. Rennes kept their composure in the closing stages as they handed PSG their first away league defeat for eight months.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ed Osmond)
