A final clapping at home to celebrate a prestigious victory against OM. As a symbol of a season that will remain etched in our memories no matter what. Then a grandiose fireworks display from the lawn to celebrate the latter at home. As a symbol of the ultra prolific attack which has stuck spanking after spanking this year. On Saturday evening, the sky over Rennes was set ablaze to celebrate the last home victory of a team that has entertained its fans all season. In a boiling hot Roazhon Park, Bruno Genesio’s players succeeded in what few teams had done so far: extinguishing an Olympique de Marseille who had been sitting in second place for two months. By beating the Marseillais 2-0, the Rennais gave themselves the right to still dream of the Champions League. But they could also fall from very high if they were to finish sixth in the event of a defeat at Lille next Saturday. A terrible suspense a few days before the final day.
In the mouths of the players and staff of Stade Rennais, it was undoubtedly this uncertainty that prevented them from falling into euphoria, despite a hyper successful performance. “After the defeat in Nantes, we did not necessarily have our destiny in our hands. We continue to dream of Europe, we will play the match in Lille as a final, ”warns Benjamin Bourigeaud, author of the opener. Acclaimed by the public on his exit, the Rennes midfielder remained alone for a few moments with his son on his shoulders at the end of the match. Was he playing his last game at Roazhon Park? “I don’t know if it was the last time today so I have several feelings going through me. It’s weird.”
We imagine that the future of one of the team’s captains could continue to be written in Brittany if his team managed to hang on to the Champions League. This well-deserved victory against OM still gives them the right to dream about it even if they have to count on a misstep from Monaco and Marseille. “It’s the championship that has been like this from the start. He is very uncertain. It’s going to be a great last day for everyone. Even if for us, we would have preferred it to be settled before, ”slips coach Bruno Genesio with a smile. The inexplicable defeat conceded to Nantes on Wednesday had plunged Rennes into the fear of missing everything. By scoring their 79th and 80th goals of the season by Bourigeaud and Majer, the Bretons broke a historic record for the club. A statistic that pleased the coach.
“I like when my team scores goals. There is something extraordinary that is being created in this club. Not just this season. We can qualify for a European competition for the 5th consecutive time. It’s a challenge”, analyzes Bruno Genesio.
Saturday evening, the coach even participated in the clapping as he had promised to greet a large audience.
The Rennais assured of nothing
The craziest thing about this story is that despite a goal difference of +42, Rennes are still not sure of anything. The prospect of finishing in 6th place obviously does not delight anyone, especially after such an attractive exercise. “Mathematically, anything is still possible. We will focus on ourselves. We will be in the place we deserve. But given the season, it would be a real disappointment to finish sixth. We must not miss each other, ”warns Benjamin Bourigeaud. “We will go to Lille to win and we will do the accounts at the end,” adds striker Martin Terrier, author of two assists against OM.
In Lille, Stade Rennais will want to chase away the bad memory of 2007 when it lost its qualification for the Champions League by conceding a draw at LOSC on a goal signed Nicolas Fauvergue. Fifteen years later, the trauma seems forgotten for Rennes supporters. It will be a question of not waking him up.