Paris (AFP) – Rennes shook off their painful midweek French Cup semi-final exit to thrash Montpellier 5-0 in Ligue 1 on Sunday and solidify their grip on a Champions League spot.
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.
Rennes have a four-point cushion on Lille in the race for the final Champions League qualification place. Lille host Lyon in Sunday’s late game.
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.
