Rennes stronger than the heat

- Unusual playing conditions:
For their exotic travel to Georgia, the Rennais weren’t disappointed regarding the “particular” aspect of that first game. Because the stadium usually hosting the Metallurgist Rustavi games, Poladi Stadium, didn’t comply with the UEFA regulations, the game was moved to Tbilisi, in the National stadium of Georgia. This resulted in the stadium being pretty empty, with only a few thousands of supporters watching the game.
On the ground, the players suffered, because of the bad condition of the pitch, but above all because of the suffocating heat, which forced the twenty-two players to rehydrate during the game. In that aim, the game’s referee accepted to schedule a break in the middle of each half for the players.

- Baptism of Fire :
With many players still fresh at the professional level, several Rennes players were discovering European football this Thursday. Among the fourteen players to take part in this game, eight were actually discovering the European Cups: Costil, Théophile-Catherine, Kana-Biyik, M’Vila, Brahimi, Doumbia, Camara and... Montaño, who had never had a chance to take part in the continental competition despite being 27 years old.
Among the other players, only two remain of the last European campaign by the Stade Rennais (in 2008): Danzé and Mangane. Pitroipa (with Hamburg), Féret (Nancy), Boukari (Lens) and Tettey (Rosenborg) had experienced European football before arriving in Brittany.

- Not as good as against Synot :
Despite the very positive scoreline managed this Thursday, Stade Rennes haven’t improved on their heavier victory ever recorded in the European Cup. In July 2001, the “Rouge et Noir” then led by Christian Gourcuff had beaten the Czech from FC Synot (currently known as FC Slovácko) by five goals to nil at the Stade de la Route de Lorient.
However, this is the team’s largest victory on the road, better than the victory against Lokomotiv Sofia in 2007 (3-1). This success is also closing a run of five consecutive away defeats for Stade Rennes in the European Cup. Indeed, since the victory in Sofia, Rennes had lost in Basel (0-1), in Hamburg (0-3), in Stabæk (1-2) and in Twente (0-1).

- Difficult to watch the game...
In the absence of any TV broadcast, difficult to follow the game for the Rennes fans, especially since no radio-broadcast was available either. Consequently, following the game took a bit of resourcefulness, in order to find a streaming link showing the images from the Georgian television via internet. Next Thursday, the task will be much easier, since Sport+ will broadcast the games for the supporters unable to go to the Stadium.

- Pitroipa doubles for his debut :
Brilliant during the pre-season, Jonathan Pitroipa confirmed for his first competitive fixture with the Stade Rennais. Scoring a brace in his first match, the Burkinabé managed a rare performance. To find any trace of such success, it takes a trip ten years in the past… during the aforementioned Intertoto Cup game against FC Synot (5-0, read previously). On that day, and for the first game of the 2001-2002 season, Olivier Monterrubio and Frédéric Piquionne debuted with the Stade Rennais. Both shone on the night with a brace each, Piquionne even managing to score his two goals after entering the field with only twenty minutes left to play.
Also credited with a promising performance for his debut with the Stade Rennais in the first team, Julien Féret has done nearly as well as Pitroipa, scoring a direct free-kick and delivering an assist to Boukari.

- Change of goalkeeper for Rustavi :
Visibly unsatisfied with the performance of his first keeper, Grigol Bediashvili, in the goals during the first half, Georgian manager Armaz Jeladze decided to replace him for the second half of the game. To Bediashvili’s credit, the save managed on Boukari’s (poorly taken) penalty as the score was still 1-0. For the rest, several mistakes eventually cost him his place in the squad.
His replacement, Zurab Batiashvili, showed slightly more inspired although he was a bit short on Féret’s victorious free-kick before losing his duel against Pitroipa on Rennes’ fifth goal.

- Memories of Guingamp :
Five goals scored during a game on the road. The performance is rare, and had not been managed since over ten years by the Stade Rennais. Indeed, March 17th 2001 is the date of the last success of such scale for Rennes away from the Route de Lorient.
On that night, Stade Rennes, coached by Paul Le Guen, made the short trip to face En Avant de Guingamp at the Stade du Roudourou. At half time, the players from the Cotes d’Armor were hit and nearly sunk already, with three goals by Philippe Delaye, Severino Lucas and Olivier Echouafni (3-0). And although Fiorèse got one back just after the break, Rennes applied more pressure in the later stages of the game through Delaye – for his brace -, Cyril Chapuis and Dominique Arribagé (Final score: 6-1).

- Turn-over for the second leg ?
With this large victory on the road, Stade Rennes can look at the return game serenely. With a three goal advantage and five goals scored on the road, it would take a 0-4 or 1-5 victory in Rennes for Rustavi to qualify. Therefore, three days before the first Ligue 1 game week, Frédéric Antonetti will probably rotate his squad against the Georgians. It is therefore quite likely that the team lined-up in Thursday will contain indications regarding the team to play on Sunday.
The players left in Rennes this week (Dalmat, Lemoine, Verhoek) would therefore have a chance to complete their preparation while the usual substitutes (Jebbour, Boye, Mandjeck, Camara, possibly Pajot) might be given an opportunity to earn some playing time and convince their manager.

- Improvements expected in defence :
After the game, the mood was naturally to satisfaction, with a feeling the job had been done in the Rennes side. However, a slight disappointment remained after conceding two goals, with Rennes having only been able to keep a clean sheet once so far during the summer pre-season (in Vannes, 0-0).
«The result is good, but we should have avoided conceding two goals, it’s annoying, Frédéric Antonetti recognised to Ouest-France. We will need to do some fine-tuning before the league restarts. But it’s true, we’re on the right track to qualify”. Same opinion from Romain Danzé : «I believe we could have avoided both goals, so we still have some work, some things to settle », the Stade Rennais vice-captain explained.

- Photo : srfc.frenchwill.fr