Rennes to the top

Rennes temporarily topped the French league table after a 3-0 victory over visitors Strasbourg, capitalizing on a 1-1 draw between Monaco and Lille in the eighth round the previous day. Rennes moved to 16 points at the summit, one point clear of Lille and Monaco, but their lead remains under threat from defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon. The team, nicknamed “The Reds and Blacks,” secured the win thanks to goals from Senegalese forward Boulaye Dia (34th minute) and Polish striker Sebastian Szymanski (41st and 61st minutes). Both Monaco and Lille squandered their chances to take top spot. Lille had taken the lead through a strike from inside the box by Ethan Mbappi (24th minute), but finished the match with ten men after Tanguy Nianzou was shown a straight red card (66th minute). Monaco capitalized on their numerical advantage to equalize, with substitute Eidan Diop curling a cross into the box that deceived the defense and goalkeeper to find the net (74th minute). Both teams remained level on 15 points, with Lille edging ahead on goal difference. Marseille nearly paid for their complacency against visitors Le Havre after racing to a 4-0 lead, only to concede three goals in the final 13 minutes of regular time and settle for a 4-3 defeat. The matches between Angers and Lorient, as well as Toulouse and Troyes, ended in goalless draws, while Auxerre and Le Mans played out a 1-1 draw.