Rennes and Monaco face contrasting outcomes in summer friendlies

The Stade Rennais continued their strong pre-season form by securing a 2-1 victory over Belgian champions Club Bruges at the Roazhon Park, with Estéban Lepaul and Issa Soumaré once again delivering standout performances. Lepaul, who led Ligue 1’s scoring charts last season, opened the scoring just before halftime, marking his third goal of the summer. Soumaré, a new arrival from Le Havre, sealed the win deep into stoppage time, despite a late consolation goal for Bruges. Kilian Belazzoug, the 20-year-old Rennes goalkeeper, made a crucial penalty save to preserve the result. The French side will next face Galatasaray on August 2 as part of their ongoing preparation.

Monaco’s struggles continue in Lisbon

AS Monaco suffered back-to-back defeats in their summer fixtures, this time falling 2-0 to Sporting CP in Lisbon. Under the guidance of interim manager Filipe Luís, the Monegasque side was missing key players including international call-ups and Paul Pogba. Despite fielding a lineup featuring Lukas Hradecky, the Kehrer-Dier defensive partnership, and an attack led by Mika Biereth and Aleksandr Golovin, Monaco struggled to impose themselves. Hradecky’s early heroics kept the score level, but goals from Rafael Nel (54’) and Jesse Derry (68’) sealed the outcome. A late reprieve from the crossbar prevented a more emphatic defeat, and Monaco will look to bounce back against Cercle Bruges next week.

Strasbourg’s woes deepen against Blackburn

The Racing Club de Strasbourg endured another disappointing outing, this time losing 2-0 to English Championship side Blackburn Rovers. After conceding an own goal from Andrew Omobamidele, Strasbourg’s Polish goalkeeper Milosz Piekutowski made several crucial stops to keep his team in the game. However, young English striker Samuel Amo-Ameyaw failed to capitalize on a late penalty he had won. Blackburn extended their lead in stoppage time through a long-range strike by Todd Cantwell. Strasbourg will now turn their attention to their Ligue 1 opener against Marseille as they seek to regroup during the final stretch of pre-season.

Key highlights from Ligue 1 pre-season friendlies

• Lens settled for a 2-2 draw with Belgian side Charleroi.
• Angers secured a 2-1 win over Créteil in National division play.
• Troyes dominated Grenoble 3-0 in Ligue 2 action.
• Le Mans edged out Nantes 1-0 in a Ligue 2 clash.
• Guingamp fell 2-0 to Lorient in Ligue 2.
• Union Saint-Gilloise defeated Lille 2-1 in Belgian top-flight action.
• Auxerre lost 2-1 to Orléans in National 3.
• Marseille suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Nice.
• Le Havre beat Red Star 2-1 in Ligue 2.
• Toulouse played out a 1-1 draw with Rodez in Ligue 2.