Embolo continues fine form as Rennes put three past Strasbourg

Strasbourg, undefeated in their last four home league matches, began the contest more assertively and nearly took the lead in the 15th minute via the matches initial clear opportunity.

Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana broke clear towards goal and chipped the keeper, yet he panicked and weakly fired at the backpedalling Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, who cleared off the line at the crucial moment.

This turned out to be a key turning point in the half, with the away side soon seizing dominance and generating multiple openings.

Musa Al-Taamari proved especially threatening for Rennes due to his speed, though Mike Penders blocked his attempt following an impressive sprint that carved out the shot. Despite a solid first half display, Penders bore responsibility for the opener, distributing poorly straight to Sebastian Szymanski.

The Polish playmaker responded promptly by redirecting to Esteban Lepaul, who slotted into the bottom corner for his 17th Ligue 1 strike this term.

Penders redeemed himself with an excellent double stop to thwart Al-Taamari and Ludovic Blas, yet the home team entered the interval justly trailing.

Rather than staging an early fightback post restart, Gary O'Neils outfit collapsed swiftly, leaking two goals in quick succession. The opener featured Lepaul switching roles with a glancing header goalwards that could have crept over the line, but Breel Embolo guaranteed it by controlling with his chest on the goalline.

Under two minutes afterwards, the score hit 3-0, as Al-Taamari secured his reward via a sharp finish after Blas delivered a precise through ball to release him on goal.

Craving a response, Strasbourg introduced three substitutes shortly before the hour, and nearly clawed one back when Martial Godo clipped the upright with a wayward volley.

In the finish, they failed to mount a comeback, and the win draws Rennes level on points with third placed Lille minus one, boosting their bid for UEFA Champions League spots come next season.

The reverse pushes Strasbourg deeper towards a probable mid table spot, lingering eight points shy of the top six, potentially freeing them to prioritise their UECL push.