Canada midfielder, Ismaël Koné, earned his first start for Rennes on Sunday, but his team fell to a 2-0 defeat against Lille, who were without their star forward Jonathan David.
After a 21-minute cameo in Rennes’ 2-0 victory over Saint-Etienne last weekend, Koné was rewarded with a starting role by head coach Habib Beye.
The midfielder played 73 minutes and was influential in breaking up play, recording 33 touches, seven defensive actions, and winning all four of his duels.
However, his exit at 0-0 was followed almost immediately by a red card for centre-back Christopher Wooh, leaving Rennes a man down.
Lille capitalized on the numerical advantage late in the match, with the opening goal arriving in the 80th minute through Nabil Bentaleb, who made an emotional return to football following a life-threatening cardiac arrest in June 2024.
Just four minutes after stepping onto the pitch, the former Tottenham and Schalke midfielder pounced on a rebound after Brice Samba had made a superb save from Chuba Akpom.
Bentaleb’s return to the pitch was a defining moment, celebrated by teammates and club staff alike.
Lille president Olivier Létang spoke of the significance of his comeback earlier in the week, saying, “He’s a true fighter, and today his dream of playing football again has become a reality. His return is a significant victory not only for him but also for the entire team and our supporters.”
Reflecting on his goal, Bentaleb shared with DAZN, “It’s a special moment for me. I didn’t know if I was going to be substituted in, but on the corner, I knew I was going to score… This is my first goal with Lille. It had to happen like this. It’s incredible.”
His goal shattered Rennes’ resistance, and six minutes later, Akpom finally found the net himself, slotting past Samba to secure the three points.
Akpom, who arrived at Lille from Ajax in January, endured a frustrating evening despite leading the attack in David’s absence.
He squandered a first-half penalty, saw a deflected effort ruled out for offside by VAR, and struck the crossbar late in the match before finally scoring.
His persistence paid off, marking two goals in two Ligue 1 appearances since his winter move.
Lille’s attacking options had been stretched thin with David and Ethan Mbappé sidelined due to minor injuries and Edon Zhegrova still unavailable.
Akpom shouldered the attacking burden but struggled for much of the game. His missed penalty highlighted Lille’s reliance on David, who had converted 10 of his last 11 spot-kicks dating back to February 2024.
Akpom, on the other hand, has now missed six of 15 career penalties.
Lille will hope to have David back when they face fifth-place Monaco next weekend, followed by a showdown against league leaders PSG.
Meanwhile, despite Rennes’ defeat, Koné put in a solid performance and has given Beye something to think about as he aims to secure a regular starting role in Ligue 1.
