Recap: Reims Can’t Overcome Early Red Card, Penalty in Loss to Rennes

Stade de Reims couldn’t bounce back from an early red card and a conceded penalty, falling 1-0 to Stade Rennais on Friday night at Roazhon Park to kick off Matchday 23 in Ligue 1 McDonald's.

Reims got off to an unfortunate start as five minutes into the matchup against Rennes they were relegated to playing with 10 men.

During a play in the midfield, Cédric Kipré dragged his cleat down Jordan James’ thigh. Without hesitation, the referee showed him a red card, leaving Reims to play with 10 men for 85 minutes.

If that wasn't enough for Reims to have a terrible start to the match, Samba Diawara and his team conceded a penalty kick to the home side three minutes later.

Lorenz Assignon took a shot, and the ball was deflected by a Reims hand in the box, with the referee not taking long to point to the penalty spot.

Rennes took the lead thanks to Arnaud Kalimuendo, who converted the penalty with composure for his 10th goal of the season in Ligue 1 McDonald's. Habib Beye and his team took advantage of playing with an extra man, recording 16 total shots in the first half, but they couldn't increase their lead before halftime.

In the second half, Rennes recorded 10 total shots but couldn't find an insurance goal to put away a short-handed Reims squad. Any hopes of Les rouges et blancs scoring a game-tying goal took a hit late in the final minutes of the second half.

Hafiz Ibrahim was sent off with a second yellow card in his Ligue 1 McDonald's debut, leaving Reims to finish the match with just nine players as they fell 1-0.

Following Rennes' win over Reims, Seko Fofana spoke to DAZN and shared his thoughts on the three points.

"I'm happy with my first start. I enjoyed it, and there was no risk of injury. We're pleased with the win, but there's some frustration because we wanted to seal the game earlier in the first half. We'll work hard and aim for a better performance against Montpellier."

The Stat: 12

Reims are in a challenging situation as they're unable to overcome this rough stretch of results that have them near the relegation zone.

After the loss to Rennes, Reims' winless streak has extended to 12 matches in Ligue 1 McDonald's, with five draws and seven losses — the longest such streak in the top five European leagues right now.

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