A history of nine-man matches in Ligue 1
Lightning never strikes twice, or so they say. But for Rennes, it struck not twice but three times. In just 100 minutes of Ligue 1 McDonald's football, they have already received three red cards, all of which have come inside the first half of their two matches.
Down to 10 men against Marseille last week after just 30 minutes, Habib Beye's side nonetheless overcame their numerical disadvantage to claw a victory. But against local rivals Lorient on Sunday, the mountain that they gave themselves to climb was simply too steep.
Derbies tend to have a bit more bite than the ordinary fixture, and motivation is enhanced. Rennes were perhaps a little too motivated and eager to get stuck into the Breton derby. It was certainly the case for new signing Mahdi Camara, sent off in the sixth minute and then Christopher Wooh, sent off five miuntes later. Unlike at Roazhon Park last week, Les Rennais could not contain their opponents, as Lorient went on to secure a memorable 4-0 win.
9-man Rennes beat PSG
Rennes are familiar with adversity. Back in 2012, with the game at 1-1, Benoît Costil was sent off for Les Rennais against PSG. But Rennes took the lead soon after. 2-1 up, Jean Makoun then also saw red, but they held on at the Parc des Princes to secure a memorable win against Les Parisiens.
Monaco have also succeeded in winning, despite being down to nine men. That win came in 2024, against Brest. The context, granted, was different. The Principality club were already two up thanks to goals from Denis Zakaria and Takumi Minamino. Monaco, striding to victory, then saw Eliesse Ben Seghir and Wilfried Singo sent off in quick succession in second-half injury time. Adi Hütter's side saw out the win, also retaining their clean sheet.
Montpellier and Auxerre involved in 9v9 scrap
Monaco's disadvantage was, therefore, mitigated. The same went for Auxerre and Montpellier back in 2022. In an electric second-half, both teams finished the game down to nine men. Khalil Fayad, Téji Savanier, M'Baye Niang, and Nuno da Costa were all sent off as Auxerre ran out 2-1 winners at the Mosson.
Montpellier aren't strangers to going two men down. The same happened against Nantes in January 2023. It was Wahbi Khazri and Elye Wahi who saw red on that occasion, with Les Canaris going on to win 3-0 on the day. There was, incredibly, a repeat in the same fixture one year later. That time, La Paillade held on in a 1-1 draw. But in another instance last season, they couldn't hold on against Angers', who went on to win 3-1 thanks to a brace from Esteban Lepaul and Zinedine Ferhat.
Prior to Rennes' two reds against Les Merlus, the most recent instance was another game involving SRFC, against Reims last season. That time, Rennes went on to win 1-0 thanks to an Arnaud Kalimuendo strike. Rennes have been on both sides of nine-man games, and Beye's side will be keen to avoid falling the wrong side of one again any time soon.
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