Ninety-six minutes, and a penalty spot
Roazhon Park did not breathe properly until the 96th minute on Sunday. Esteban Lepaul put the ball down, waited, and rolled Stade Rennais to a 3-2 win over Le Mans.
He had already scored inside five minutes. Valentin Rongier made it two on 26. Half an hour gone and this looked like a comfortable Breton afternoon.
Louis Mafouta disagreed. The Le Mans forward struck back four minutes later, then levelled from the spot after the interval. A newly promoted side scoring twice at Roazhon Park is not something you see often.
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Rennes finally get off the mark
This was their first win of the season. Rennes had opened with a 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, respectable enough, though the table does not hand out marks for respectability.
Lepaul keeps making the case that everything runs through him. Rennes handed him a new deal over the summer with several European clubs watching closely, and nights that end with him winning the match from the spot make that paperwork look cheap.
Rongier is settling into the job the club signed him for. Arrive late, get into the box, finish.
Le Mans go home empty and unlucky
The Sarthe club take nothing back with them. They deserved better. Two down after 26 minutes, they clawed the game level and were still alive when the referee pointed to the spot at the very end.
Mafouta scored twice away at a side aiming for Europe. For a club playing its first weeks in the top flight, that matters more right now than the column marked points.
Zero from the trip, then, and a journey home spent thinking about what was nearly taken.
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