PSG vs Rennes live score, updates, highlights and lineups from Ligue 1 as Toko Ekambi  stuns Messi and Mbappe

By | March 19, 2023
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Paris Saint-Germain will look to tighten their grip on the Ligue 1 title when they host Rennes on Sunday.

Lens won 3-0 at home to bottom-of-the-table Angers to cut the gap to nine points and will hope Rennes can do them a favour, as will Marseille, who travel to Reims in Sunday’s late game.

Bruno Genesio’s side lie sixth and have European ambitions of their own but PSG have recovered from their domestic wobble after the World Cup and are on a run of four consecutive Ligue 1 victories.

Sporting News is following the match live and providing live score updates and commentary.

MORE: PSG vs Rennes live stream, TV channel, lineups, betting odds for Ligue 1 clash

PSG vs. Rennes live score

  1H 2H Final
PSG 0 — —
REN 1 — —

Goals:
 

Lineups:

PSG (4-4-1-2, right to left): 99-Donnarumma (GK) — 31-Bitshiabu, 15-Danilo, 14-Bernat — 29-Pembele, 6-Verratti, 8-Ruiz, 25-Mendes — 17-Vitinha — 10-Messi, 7-Mbappe

Rennes (3-4-3, right to left): 30-Mandanda (GK) — 23-Omari, 15-Wooh, 5-Theate — 90-Spence, 6-Ugochukwu, 14-Bourigeaud, 3-Truffert (25-Meling) — 33-Doue, 9-Kalimuendo 17-Toko Ekambi 

PSG vs. Rennes live updates, highlights from Ligue 1

Halftime: Messi gives the ball away and his jeered by some of the home fans. The catcalls get louder as the whistle sounds and Rennes, despite the early loss of Truffert to that nasty-looking ankle injury – have a halftime lead at the Parc des Princes.

45th minute: GOOOOAAALLLLLL!!!!! Toko Ekambi!!!!

No prizes for guessing that a raking ball over the top does the damage but it’s Rennes who led! Toko Ekambi gets clear of Bernat’s attentions and smashes past Donnarumma. In the absence of away fans, a stunned silence gives way to jeers from the home support. There’ll be more of that if PSG don’t level in these two minutes of injury time.

41st minute: Following a sleepy period of play, Mbappe is in behind the Rennes backline once more. He thumps high towards goal and Mandanda parries upwards before turning back and grasping the loose ball in his goalmouth.

34th minute: Good outside-to-in run from Pembele, whose low ball into the six-yard box looking for Mbappe is snaffled by Mandanda.

33rd minute: Again the ball over the top proves fruitful for PSG. Messi spins to engineer some space but shoots too close to Mandanda, who gathers easily. It might have been offside in any case.

30th minute: Truffert has re-emerged and will take his place on the Rennes bench while grappling with a pair of crutches.

26th minute: Vitinha snaffles a loose ball and Rennes are in trouble. Here’s Messi and that’s a delicious angled pass to Mbappe. Mandanda is out quickly, though, and does enough to block an attempted dinked finish.

25th minute: PSG try the direct ploy again and Mbappe is onside this time. The angle is against his however and he thrashes across goal and wide with his left foot.

24th minute:  Messi bustles after a ball over the top and Mandanda claims. The Rennes goalkeeper briefly looked like he was about to tumble out of his area then but managed to stick the landing.

23rd minute: There he is! Mbappe darts clear of the Rennes defence and thumps into the net. But he was offside by a couple of yards and knew as much.

21st minute: Not much happening at the moment, with Mbappe on the margins. That is at least an improvement, so far as PSG are concerned, given they spent the first 10 minutes seemingly trying to concede a goal.

16th minute: Messi looks to get a lethargic PSG going. A sliding Omari deflects his shot form 20 yards wide. Danilo looks to convert from the resulting corner but the visitors hack clear.

11th minute: Toko Ekambi turns Bernat inside out. Again Bitshiabu gets back to deflect his shot behind for a corner. Messi looks to break as PSG deal with the danger.

9th minute: Good again from Rennes as Doue aims a low cross toward Kalimuendo. Teenage defender Bitshiabu makes a vital near-post challenge inside the six-yard box.

8th minute: A slip in the PSG defence and Toko Ekambi gets a chance to cut onto his right foot, only to drag his shot wide. That was  better chance than he made it look.

4th minute: Truffert sits down on the turf before hobbling off in anguish. His race is run. On comes Birger Meling

3rd minute: Messi tries to work an angle coming in from the right and finds Vitinha, who overcooks his pass for Fabian Ruiz and it’s a goal kick. Truffert is going to try and run it off, but he looks in an unhelpful amount of pain.

1st minute: We’re underway and Pembele stretches his legs down the right. Truffert blocks the cross and it goes out for a corner. The Rennes left-back has gone over horribly on his ankle in doing so, though, and we could see a very early change.

4 mins from kickoff: The teams are in the tunnel at the Parc des Princes. We’re almost ready to go.

15 mins from kickoff: Her beloved Arsenal are wrapping up a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace. It could be quite the day.

25 mins from kickoff: Kylian Mbappe has scored in each of PSG’s four consecutive league wins, netting six in this period. Messi was also on target in the first three of those games. In Neymar’s absence, they might be proving the old adage that two’s company and three is a crowd.

Lionel Messi

45 mins from kickoff: This is the PSG XI, with Mbappe and Messi present and correct. It looks like both sides will field start with three central defenders.

55 mins from kickoff: The Rennes team news is in. Djed Spence starts at right-back after overcoming a minor knock.

1 hours 20 mins from kickoff: Lionel Messi will head off for a celebratory homecoming with his Argentina teammates after this match. But is the final chapter of his PSG career coming next? The 35-year-old is out of contract at the end of this season and yet to pen an extension. 

“It’s too early to know his future,” said Galtier this week, speaking with the calmness of a man who knows he’s probably off in the summer whatever happens. “He, the board and the president are talking a lot. I’ve already said that his stay would be positive news for everyone. “I know there has been a lot of criticism after [going out of the Champions League to] Bayern Munich, but he has been decisive in many moments of the season.”

Getty Images

1 hour 40 mins from kickoff: After a week when PSG had to watch another Champions League quarterfinal draw from a distance, Christophe Galtier’s side can take step towards another Ligue 1 title when they taken on Rennes. Bruno Genesio’s Europa League-chasing side begins a relatively tricky run of fixtures, with Lyon, Nice and second-placed Lens up after the international break. If PSG get through those unscathed then it will be time to start engraving the trophy.

2 hours mins from kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Paris Saint-Germain versus Rennes from Ligue 1. PSG saw their lead narrowed to nine points at the apex of the French top flight, but could restore the double-digit lead with victory today.

PSG vs Rennes lineups, team news

Head coach Christophe Galtier has a long list of injury absences, including Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Nordi Mukiele, Carlos Soler, and Marquinhos out of action until after the international break, and Neymar and Presnel Kimpembe sidelined for the season.

PSG starting XI (5-3-2): Donnarumma (GK) — Pembele, Bitshiabu, Danilo, Bernat, Mendes — Vitinha, Verratti, Ruiz — Messi, Mbappe

PSG subs (8): Rico (GK), Leteillier (GK), Charbi, Sanches, Zaire-Emery, Housni, Fernandez Veliz, Lamy

Rennes will be without key forward Jeremy Doku for this match, although Tottenham loanee Djed Spence is fit to start after a minor injury and is likely to start on the bench. Captain Hamari Traore is back among the substitutes, while Warmed Omari returns from suspension to bolster the defence.

Rennes starting XI (5-4-1): Mandanda (GK) — Spence, Omari, Wooh, Theate, Truffert — Doue, Ugochukwu, Bourigeaud, Toko Ekambi — Kalimuendo

Rennes subs (11): Alemdar (GK), Salin (GK), Traore, Rodon, Belocian, Meling, Santamaria, Majer, Tait, Gouiri, Salah

MORE: PSG next manager odds to take over for Christophe Galtier

How to watch PSG vs. Rennes

  TV channel Streaming
Australia beIN Sports 2 Kayo Sports,
beIN Sports Connect
Canada beIN Sports fuboTV Canada,
beIN Sports Connect
Hong Kong — beIN Sports Connect
India Sports 18 —
Malaysia —

beIN Sports Connect
New Zealand — beIN Sports Connect
Singapore beIN Sports Xtra beIN Sports Connect
UK BT Sport 2 BT Sport app/site
USA beIN Sports fuboTV,
beIN Sports Connect

UK: This match will be broadcast live in the UK via BT Sports’ TV and streaming services.

USA: This match is televised in the USA on beIN Sports, which streams on fuboTV. It’s also available online on beIN Sports Connect in English and Spanish.

Canada: Every Ligue 1 match this season is televised on beIN Sports, which streams on fuboTV Canada. There is also a stream available on beIN Sports Connect.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream Ligue 1 matches live and on demand with Kayo Sports and via beIN Sports Connect,

MORE: Watch every Premier League match live with fuboTV in Canada

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