All the distress of Randal Kolo Muani after the new defeat of FC Nantes in the derby against Rennes. – JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
- FC Nantes lost this Sunday afternoon in the derby against Rennes (1-0).
- Nantes remain stuck in 19th place and are closer than ever to Ligue 2 six days from the end.
- “But as long as we are not condemned, we will not let go,” assures goalkeeper Alban Laffont.
At Roazhon Park, Jérôme Gicquel
Disappointment, frustration and sadness. So many words that keep coming back to every FC Nantes match this season. Stuck in the red zone, the Canaries still left feathers this Sunday afternoon by being punished by the neighbor and rival Rennes at Roazhon Park (1-0). With a defense of five, the Nantes have it is true not shown much. Too little in any case to worry the Rouge et Noir who won the derby thanks to a flash of genius signed by Martin Terrier.
With a superb shot curled from the right, the Rennes striker deceived poor Alban Laffont just after returning from the locker room (52nd). “I was masked on goal, I tried to close my near post but he puts it well,” conceded the Nantes goalkeeper at the end of the meeting. However, it took a little for the Canaries to equalize in stoppage time but Kolo Muani ate the sheet by crossing his shot too much.
A “poor” second half according to Kombouaré
An action which illustrates well the sad performance of Nantes this Sunday. “We were conquerors and able to defend well in the first half but the second was poor”, underlined the coach Antoine Kombouaré, pointing the finger at the “lack of enthusiasm, of offensive going and perhaps even of courage also ”of his team.
If the defense rather held the shock on the whole, yielding just on the jewel of Terrier, the Nantes attack was indeed painful to see. “We lacked madness and we did not take enough risks offensively,” said Alban Laffont. “You have to take risks in matches, you have to dare, you have to try,” added Antoine Kombouaré.
“As long as we are not condemned, we will not let go”
The defeat against the neighbor and rival Nantes does not condemn the people of Nantes. But the situation is critical and the club seems closer than ever to Ligue 2. “We are in a complicated situation but as long as we are not condemned, we will not let go,” assured Alban Laffont.
Antoine Kombouaré does not want to be defeated after this new setback either. “The pressure has been hanging over for a while,” he said. It’s a complicated season. But no matter how we are going to hold on, if we have to go through the dams we will, but we believe in it until the end ”.
Six more games to save
With this second consecutive defeat, the Canaries remain 19th in the Ligue 1 standings but are now two points behind Nîmes, a potential barrage. Lorient, 17th, is four points behind. Next week, FCN will face Lyon at La Beaujoire. Then there will be five games to go.