Europa League: Rennes come from behind to beat OFI Crete 2-1, Franck Haise’s first European win

OFI Crete struck first, Fountas finding the net as early as the tenth minute, and Christos Kontis’s 3-4-3 held the lead until past the hour. Rennes turned the evening around in thirteen minutes: Mahamadou Nagida in the 77th, off the outside of his left boot, then Aït-Boudlal in the 90th. 2-1, a win “snatched on the gong”, in the words of Foot Mercato’s live feed.

Franck Haise had started Aït-Boudlal at centre-back and left Thomasson out of the eleven, and the call paid off: that defender scored the winning goal. Nagida played the left flank, and So Foot reads the turnaround as “carried by the goal and the energy” of Mahamadou Nagida.

Seventeen matches of waiting for Haise

The day before, in L’Équipe, Franck Haise summed up his position: “We move forward at our own pace, but we move forward.” After the 0-0 earned at Sturm Graz on 16 September, Rennes carried their coach’s run: seventeen Europa League matches without a win. It ends at Roazhon Park. With a point in Austria and three tonight, the club sits on four points from two league-phase matches.

Sunday at Jean-Bouin, the market has not moved

Rennes, third in Ligue 1 on 13 points, travel to Paris FC, fifth on 11, on Sunday, with Saturday’s 4-1 over Auxerre and tonight’s comeback in their legs. The odds have not moved yet: at the latest reading, Rennes are still 3.285 at 1xbet, their opening price, Paris FC 2.373 at the same bookmaker, the draw 3.60 at Bet365. Our match preview backs Paris FC to win at 2.373. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.