El-Arabi rescues Nantes at the death in fiery Breton Derby

FC Nantes produced a stirring late comeback to snatch a point in the Derby Breton as substitute Youssef El-Arabi struck in the 96th minute to deny Stade Rennais victory at La Beaujoire.

The clash had all the ingredients of a fiery derby: goals, penalties, missed chances and an electric atmosphere, with returning ex-Nantes duo Valentin Rongier and Quentin Merlin at the centre of the hostility from the stands.

Rennes in control early

The visitors, buoyed by recent wins over Lyon and Marseille, imposed themselves after a lively opening from the hosts. They took the lead on the half-hour when Ludovic Blas, jeered throughout by his former supporters, converted a penalty after a handball by Tino Tati (30’).

Five minutes later, Rennes doubled their advantage. A flowing move involving Blas and Alidu Seidu ended with Esteban Lepaul rifling home from close range (35’) for his third goal of the season. Nantes’ bright start had fizzled, and Habib Beye’s men appeared in full control at the break.

Nantes fight back

Luis Castro’s side returned from the interval transformed, playing with aggression and intensity. Their reward came just after the hour when Rennes failed to clear a free-kick and Ange Mwanga bundled the ball past Brice Samba (64’).

The match descended into chaos late on. Nantes poured forward and, deep into stoppage time, were handed a lifeline when Hans Hateboer fouled El-Arabi at a corner. But Samba guessed correctly to deny Mostafa Abline from the spot (90+2’).

It looked like Rennes would cling on, but in the sixth minute of added time, substitute Bilal Benhattab swung in a desperate cross that fell to El-Arabi, who fired a low shot into the far corner to spark pandemonium in the stands (90+6’).

THE STAT:

Rennes have lost four points from winning positions in Ligue 1 McDonald's this season, only Metz (5) have lost more. But they have now scored in their last 3 games in the Ligue 1, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 7 games from 13th April 2025 to 15th August 2025.