Rennes Stun OFI with Last-Gasp 2-1 Europa League Rally

Rennes 2-1 OFI: Europa League Theatre in Brittany

The Roazhon Park erupted in ecstasy as Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal’s 90th-minute strike completed Rennes’ stunning 2-1 comeback against OFI in their Europa League group stage clash – a match that swung from Greek defiance to French euphoria.

OFI’s Early Raid Silences Rennes

For 76 minutes, this was shaping up as one of European football’s great smash-and-grab raids. Taxiarchis Fountas’ 10th-minute opener for OFI – a clinical finish from Nikolaos Athanasiou’s cutback – defied all logic against Rennes’ 67% possession dominance. The Cretans, defending in two banks of five, watched their hosts fire 25 shots but survive through last-ditch blocks and goalkeeper Nikolaos Christogeorgos’ heroics.

The resistance nearly cracked before halftime. OFI’s Krešimir Krizmanić saw yellow for chopping down Ludovic Blas, the first of five Rennes players booked as frustration grew. When Lorenzo Dickmann followed him into the book on 59 minutes for hauling back the marauding Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, the pressure turned volcanic.

Rennes’ Relentless Pressure Finally Tells

Julien Stéphan’s quadruple substitution on 67 minutes – including Boulaye Dia’s introduction – sparked chaos. Newly arrived Mahamadou Nagida answered the call nine minutes later, pouncing on a loose ball to finally breach OFI’s fortress.

Now the Cretans cracked. Their five second-half substitutions – including the withdrawal of exhausted goalscorer Fountas – could not stem the tide. Rennes smelled blood, racking up 13 corners to OFI’s three and winning possession in dangerous areas repeatedly.

Then, with the clock ticking past 90 minutes: liftoff. Aït Boudlal, the rampaging right-back who’d been everywhere all night, found space at the back post to rifle home the winner and spark pandemonium in the stands.

What This Means for Both Sides

For Rennes, this was escape artistry with a purpose. Their 38th shot across two Europa League matches (1.73 xG here) finally yielded tangible reward, keeping them in the hunt behind group leaders. Meanwhile, OFI’s heroic resistance ultimately collapsed – but their early standing against Ligue 1’s fourth-best side will give them belief ahead of Matchday 3.

The real winners? The Europa League itself. This was competition football at its most gloriously unpredictable.