Mavididi scores late to give a 10-man Montpellier the win over Rennes
Montpellier's captain, Téji Savanier, was sent off in the 53rd minute after a tough challenge on Rennes' Lesley Ugochukwu.
In a tense Ligue 1 encounter on matchday 32, Montpellier secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Rennes, with Stephy Mavididi netting the decisive goal in the 84th minute. Christopher Julien provided the assist, helping Montpellier extend their impressive scoring streak in the competition.
Montpellier's captain, Téji Savanier, was sent off in the 53rd minute after a tough challenge on Rennes' Lesley Ugochukwu, leaving the home side to navigate the remainder of the match with ten men. Despite this setback, Montpellier managed to hold on and claim all three points.
The win sees Montpellier climb to 13th in the Ligue 1 table, with 11 wins, 4 draws, and 15 losses, amassing a total of 37 points. Meanwhile, Rennes' pursuit of a European spot is now more complicated by this defeat, as they now sit in 6th place with a record of 16 wins, 5 draws, and 10 losses, tallying 53 points.
This match marked Montpellier's tenth consecutive game in which they scored a goal in Ligue 1, their longest scoring streak this season. In this run, they have found the back of the net 17 times. Furthermore, this is their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a stretch of 12 games from December 8th, 2012, to March 1st, 2013.
Montpellier's ability to consistently score goals will undoubtedly be a key factor in their quest to secure a mid-table finish this season. On the other hand, Rennes will need to regroup and focus on their remaining fixtures to keep their European qualification hopes alive.