Paris (AFP) – Rennes shook off their painful midweek French Cup semi-final exit to thrash Montpellier 5-0 in Ligue 1 on Sunday and maintain their one-point lead over Lille in the race for France’s third and final Champions League spot.
Last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up Lille kept the pressure on with a 1-0 win over Lyon.
Rennes left-back Faitout Maouassa struck the opener inside 10 minutes at Roazhon Park and Adrien Hunou doubled the lead for Rennes, whose French Cup title defence was ended Thursday by a 2-1 loss to Saint-Etienne.
Flavien Tait added a third for Rennes on 68 minutes before Romain Del Castillo converted a penalty. Hunou grabbed his second of the match from the spot late on to complete the rout.
Lille edged out in-form Lyon thanks to a first-half goal from former Chelsea and Newcastle striker Loic Remy.
Paris Saint-Germain’s game at Strasbourg on Saturday was postponed due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision was made after a number of people tested positive for COVID-19 in the Haut-Rhin region, which neighbours the Bas-Rhin region where Strasbourg is located.
It was the first Ligue 1 match to be called off because of the virus, which has infected 1,126 people in France and caused 19 deaths.
