Recap: Nice's Three First Half Goals Fuel Win Against Rennes

OGC Nice snapped a three-match winless streak across all competitions after securing a 3-2 win over Stade Rennais on Friday night at Allianz Riviera.

Nice opened up the scoring thanks to a goal from Evann Guessand, who scored off a right-footed shot from the center box in the 12th minute to open the scoring for the home side.

After conceding the opening goal, Rennes' first goal came from Arnaud Kalimuendo as the 22-year-old leveled the contest 1-1, scoring from a right-footed shot from the right side of the box in the 27th minute.

Seven minutes later, Nice took a 2-1 advantage after Sofiane Diop off a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 34th minute. Right before halftime, the host team increased their lead to 3-1 following a goal from Gaëtan Laborde in the first half stoppage time.

The 30-year-old scored off a left-footed shot from the center of the box as Nice headed into the break riding positive momentum.

In the second half, Rennes cut the deficit to one goal after Adrien Truffert scored in the 49th minute off a left-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box to make the contest 3-2.

Rennes made a push to level the match by bringing on Seko Fofana, who made his debut for the club in the 64th minute. The 29-year-old played 26 minutes for the away side, but the insertion of the veteran wasn't enough for Rennes to tie the game.

Nice faced a tough finish to the match after Pablo Rosario was shown a red card during second half stoppage time. Despite playing with a man short, the host side held onto their lead and secured the victory.

Following the win, Guessand spoke to DAZN and expressed the importance of starting 2025 on a winning note.

"It was important to return from the break with energy. We were able to really take it to this team—ten points is significant. We've been playing together for a while now, and I hope we can keep this up."

Truffert also spoke to DAZN after the loss and noted his disappointment as Rennes' comeback to level the scoring fell short.

"We're disappointed because we didn't leave with the victory. We showed character, we're in the process of rebuilding. We work hard every day to rebuild our automatisms."

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