AS Monaco Clinches Narrow Victory Over Rennes to Lead Ligue 1

AS Monaco achieved a pivotal 2-1 win over Rennes at Roazhon Park, climbing temporarily to the top of Ligue 1 standings. In a match where opportunities were scarce, Monaco was remarkably efficient, converting two of their shots on target into goals through Thilo Kehrer and Folarin Balogun, marking their sixth victory this season.

The match commenced with Monaco setting an aggressive tone as Kehrer scored the opening goal in the sixth minute off a corner delivered by Eliesse Ben Seghir. Rennes quickly leveled the score through Ludovic Blas’s long-range strike. However, Monaco reclaimed the lead with Balogun's clever lob over Steve Mandanda in the 22nd minute, assisted again by Ben Seghir. The first half concluded with Monaco's goalkeeper Philipp Köhn making a crucial save during stoppage time to maintain the lead.

The second half was marked by near misses from both teams, with Monaco's Ben Seghir hitting the crossbar and Rennes’ Arnaud Kalimuendo striking the post. Monaco's coach Adi Hütter made strategic late substitutions to help the team withstand Rennes' late surge, securing Monaco's position at the peak of Ligue 1 as they head into the international break. They are set to face Lille in their next fixture on October 18.