Recap: Meister Scores First Ligue 1 Goal as Rennes Beat OL

Stade Rennais opened the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season with a 3-0 victory over Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday night at Roazhon Park.

Rennes took control in the first half, firing nine shots and scoring twice in three minutes. Benjamin Bourigeaud opened the scoring in the 19th minute off an assist from Ludovic Blas to give the home side a 1-0 advantage.

Julien Stéphan and his team quickly took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a goal from Amine Gouiri in the 21st minute. Lyon faced a challenging situation away from home, but Les Gones earned a reputation for pulling off impressive comebacks last season.

If OL wanted to leave with at least one point, they'd need to find some of that comeback magic. Lyon would record 12 total shots in the final 45 minutes as the team looked for that first goal to cut the deficit in half.

Midway through the second half, Pierre Sage and his team received a penalty kick opportunity. Newcomer Georges Mikautadze stepped into the box to take the shot, but the 23-year-old was denied by veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda who made the save to keep Rennes' 2-0 lead.

Rennes had 12 total shots in the final 45 minutes and hit the woodwork twice as they looked for the third goal to put the match out of reach. The third goal would come in the last moments of the second half as Henrik Meister came off the bench in the 87th minute and scored his first goal with Rennes in stoppage time to solidify a 3-0 win.

Les Rouge et Noirs will attempt to carry this momentum from their Matchday 1 win over Lyon on the road when they travel next Sunday to Stade de la Meinau for a clash against RC Strasbourg, who drew 1-1 against Montpellier in their opening contest of the season.

As for OL, they'll be looking for a bounce-back when they have their first home match of the new season. Lyon will welcome AS Monaco, who defeated AS Saint-Étienne 1-0 to open the campaign, to Groupama Stadium next Saturday.

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