This game gave us all the ingredients of a full-blooded encounter with 5 goals, a red card and VAR interventions. Le Mans stood up to Stade Rennais right until the end of the match but ultimately fell short on Breton soil, with a few regrets.
However, even if the term "encouraging defeat" isn't part of Patrick Videira's men's vocabulary, this match could prove useful going forward, particularly in terms of the mindset shown by Le Mans who, even down to 10 against 11, held their own against Rennes and nearly equalized in the final minute before VAR stepped in and crushed our last hopes...
Special mention to Esteban Lepaul, who showed the full extent of his talent throughout the entire match and continues to add even more shine to our Ligue des Talents!
Mafouta (79): As Patrick Videira pointed out, he could have converted the chance in the 15th minute of the match. Despite that, he once again showed that he's Le Mans' attacking leader and that he's here to stack up goals. DON'T PLAY WITH THE WORK ETHIC!
Bourabaa (45): It's hard to walk away with "only" a 45 rating given his nearly 10 kilometers covered and how packed his heatmap is. He's surely earned his place a bit more with this match and does a world of good in quick transitions.
Calodat (74): Here to stay? With Larouci in the concussion protocol, Calodat took advantage of the absence to register an assist and bring his usual drive forward. Yet another headache for Patrick Videira (and for me) if he ends up staying in the lineup. In any case, he showed that despite tough opposition, he has the ability to run in behind anyone.
Boissé (13): A conceded penalty that tarnishes both his performance and the team's. But he'll surely be brought back for the next match given Sidibé's suspension.
Sidibé (11): Le Mans didn't lose this match solely because of him, but he did deal his team quite a blow. I'm convinced he'll bring us a lot in the coming weeks and that he'll earn us more points than he costs us.
At the time of writing this article, we still don't know how long Nicolas Kocik will be out. Also worth noting is Lucas Bretelle's start, who wasn't able to impose himself given how the match played out. Lauray's return as starting captain makes sense given Yohou's absence, but it's still worth asking whether he'll keep that role once Yohou is back, likely against Nice. Vercruysse's introduction also deserves a mention, both for his defensive bite and the technical precision he brought. Watch out, he could well end up competing in an already crowded midfield and won't settle for a spot on the bench! Finally, Torrente didn't come on, and Voyer could hold onto his starting spot for now before the Spaniard makes his case for a starting role.
