Flashback : Rennes - Paris SG in 1995

Context

Defeated by Nice 1-0 during the 34th game week, the 1994-1995 Stade Rennes’ squad didn’t make things easier for itself before coming in to the home straight. Four games before the end of the season, the players trained by the “Kergrist-Moëlou druid”, a.k.a Michel Le Milinaire, only had a very thin safety margin left between them and the best-placed of the clubs in the relegation zone. With only 38 points, Jocelyn Gourvennec (Captain of the team) and his team mates were seriously threatened by Saint-Etienne, with their 18th rank and their 35 points. Hosting Paris-Saint-Germain, comfortably ranked third of the Division 1 (behind Lyon and Nantes), looked rather worrying. If the “Red and Black” wanted to stay in Division 1, they had no other option than victory.

The Game

Despite the heavy pressure underwent before this essential game, Rennes squad remained however quite optimistic. The club from Brittany could indeed rely on the support of its unfailing fans. The Stade de la Route de Lorient was fully packed with 19931 spectators for this game against Paris Saint-Germain. The match started slowly and it took several minutes before the game truly came to life. At the 13th minute, Jean-Christophe Thomas kicked the third corner for Rennes. The trustworthy defender Patrice Carteron jumped higher than everyone and headed the ball out of PSG goalkeeper Bernard Lama’s reach (a future Rennes’ signing). This was the first goal in Division One for the Rennes’ wing back and also the first goal of the season that Paris-Saint-Germain conceded on a corner. Rennes scored on its first real attempt and started to breathe easier. Rennes scored an early second goal only six minutes later when Thomas, once again, amazingly crossed the ball to Marco Grassi, back to goal as usual, who got the ball with a volley before lobbing the unfortunate Lama a bit too far from his line. Stade Rennes was on a hot streak and progressively proved more and more self-assured. A few minutes later, Jocelyn Gourvennec was humiliating Antoine Kombouaré before being brought down in the PSG penalty area by the former Nantes’ player. Rennes’ midfielder then fell and the game’s referee, Mr Sars, immediately awarded a penalty-kick for the host team. Marco Grassi took the spot-kick and scored after hitting the right post. After 36 minutes of a hardly predictable scenario, Rennes was amazingly leading by three goals to nothing. The success seemed already guaranteed. Stade Rennes was having a wonderful evening, making the most of all their opportunities and using astonishingly well what were the usual abilities of their opponents: Strength, realism, playmaking and strictness. Jocelyn Gourvennec explained after the match that “compared to other games, we managed to convert our chances. When we score twice that quickly, when our defence doesn’t make any mistake, nothing can happen to us”.

After 45 minutes, Rennes came back to the dressing room with a comfortable three-goal lead. The score substantially reflected the difference of motivation between a fazed team deprived of 4 key players (Alain Roche, Vincent Guérin, Georges Weah and Raï) and a team decided to make a big hit to get safey as early as possible from the relegation spectrum. The “Red and Black” seemed indeed ready and determined like never before, effective, graceful and with this ability to highlight the loopholes of an opponent that was so well-known for its fighting spirit. The club of the French Capital was about to sink in front of a team that was succeeding in everything it attempted. And almost fifteen minutes before the end of the game, the Danish defender Brian Jensen crossed a long ball in the back of the Parisian defence. PSG centre back Ricardo fluffed it once again, missed the ball and let Pierre-Yves André break away. With his toe, the Rennes striker managed to touch the ball and nutmeg Bernard Lama. 4-0 for the SRFC, who would have bet on this? Individually, the man-of-the-match was indisputably Jocelyn Gourvennec. On a hot streak, he was wonderful at playmaker position and owned Valdo and Kombouaré several times. Another good surprise, Rennes defence was holding out. On the Parisian side, only David Ginola was able to bring his impact skills but in vain. Rennes was clearly dominating and wasn’t really threatened by a completely apathetic Parisian squad. On the opposition camp, Rennes’ squad proved strong and constantly united, probably playing its best game of the season and charming the 20.000 spectators. Five minutes before the end of the match, David Ginola hit Pascal Rousseau’s post but Rennes was holding on. In front of its enthusiastic crowd, the SRFC indisputably crushed Paris by four goals to nothing. The “Red and Black” had dominated the Paris Saint-Germain. Graceful and effective, the players from Brittany scored 4 times against a weakened team which was obviously lacking motivation. The success was really complete. “Ginola, sing a song, Ginola, sing a song!, and where are they, and where are the Parisians?”. Rennes’ supporters were teasing the PSG and were singing like never before during that season. That was a top-class and unusual hot evening. It was beautiful, insane and completely unpredictable. This Paris Saint-Germain, semi-finalist of the Champions League that year, was crushed by Breton tonus. After the match, Daniel Bravo even reported that “during the half-time break, Luiz Fernandez asked us to limit the damage done to PSG’s image and to avoid conceding 6 or 7 goals”.

A decisive step to avoid relegation

After this great success, Stade Rennes started to breathe much easier, especially after Saint-Etienne’s draw (3-3) against Lille during the same Game Week, which gave Rennes a much bigger room for manoeuvre to finish the season. With a five-point advantage and three games to be played, the club of Brittany’s Capital was on its way to quietly avoid relegation and remain in the French Division One. Following its radiant playmaker, Jocelyn Gourvennec, Rennes had managed to make its squad play united and to reach the objectives that were initially set. Rennes was about to play in Division One for the second season in a row, and a much brighter future was about to open. The Youth academy was highly competitive; the young players trained there were showing up, such as Sylvain Wiltord who scored five times during his first season in Division One.

Match facts

Rennes 4 - 0 Paris SG
Division 1, 35th Game Week
May 6th, 1995

Stade de la route de Lorient
Attendance: 19 931 spectators

Goals: Carteron (13’), Grassi (19’ and 36’ p.) and André (76’) for Rennes.

- Rennes: Rousseau - Fugier, Carteron, Denis (L’Helgouac’h, 88’) - Jensen, Thomas, Lambert - Ohrel, Gourvennec, Grassi, Wiltord (André, 40’). (Manager : M. Le Milinaire)

- PSG: Lama - Llacer (Allou, 63’), Colleter, Ricardo, Dieng - Kombouaré, Bravo, Séchet (Le Guen, 55’) - Valdo, Mboma, Ginola. (Manager : L. Fernandez)

Sources:
- Ouest France Archives

Photos:
- srfc.frenchwill.fr
- Ouest France