Monaco held firm to win 2-1 against Stade Rennais on Saturday, advancing to second place in Ligue 1 despite the sending off of their forward Vanderson near the end and a penalty awarded against them in the final minutes. Monaco sits in second place with 30 points, one point ahead of Nice, which hosts Stade de Reims on Sunday, while Paris Saint-Germain leads the table with 33 points ahead of their match against Nantes later on Saturday.
Monaco opened the scoring in the 51st minute when Stade Rennais defenders failed to clear a cross from Ismail Jakobs, allowing Folarin Balogun to pass to Vanderson, whose shot deflected off defender Januel Pheulon and found the net.
Ren, who had been largely uninspired offensively, gained a chance to bounce back in the 75th minute when Vanderson received a second yellow card, leaving the visitors with ten men. However, Monaco extended their lead in the 85th minute when Youssef Fofana received a pass from Balogun inside the penalty area and scored into the bottom corner.
Fofana then caused a penalty four minutes later, converted by Benjamin Bourigeaud to make it 2-1. Despite mounting pressure in stoppage time, Stade Rennais could not equalize, allowing Monaco to secure the three points. With this defeat, Stade Rennais occupies 12th place with 15 points.
