‘I’ve never talked about Europe’ – Julien Stéphan dismisses loss as missed opportunity for Rennes
Stade Rennais’s run of eight matches without a defeat in Ligue 1 ended on Sunday afternoon in the Breton derby against FC Lorient. A 2-1 loss was a fair result for a team that despite dominating the ball created very little throughout the match.
A late consolation in added time gave hope and perhaps took some of the sting away from an ultimately bruising match that saw their seemingly irresistible charge towards a European place come to a screeching halt. The fact that it was a loss that saw their rivals bounce out of the relegation playoff spot will be a bitter pill for Rennes to swallow.
However, in a press conference attended by GFFN, Julien Stéphan remained an optimistic figure, “ It’s part of a journey. This defeat calls absolutely nothing into question . Quite the contrary ,” he continued, “ With nine matches in one month we can understand a drop in performances, even if this game was far from bad .”
PLAYER RATINGS | Rennes 1-2 Lorient: Steve Mandanda’s howler gifts vital Breton derby win for Les Merlus.
