Rennes won on fewer chances than usual, while Strasbourg scored none

Two early goals decided Rennes against Strasbourg, who had more of the ball and better chances than usual but could not score.

Two goals in the space of seven minutes, both before half-time, did most of the work at Roazhon Park. Boulaye Dia opened the scoring at 34, a goal the video assistant referee checked and confirmed, and Sebastian Szymański doubled Rennes's lead at 41. Strasbourg had no answer after that, and Szymański added a third at 61 to close out the match.

Rennes had less of the ball than usual, 47% against a season average of 56.9%. Possession is simply the share of time a side spends with it. They also took fewer and poorer chances: 14 shots against 17.3 on average at home, and an expected goals figure of 1.57 against a usual 2.34. Expected goals, or xG, gives each shot a score for how likely it was to go in, so a lower figure means weaker chances overall.

Yet Rennes scored more than they usually do, which says the chances they did take were put away. Their three goals compare with a usual 2.1 at home and with a league average of three per match. In other words, they were no better in front of goal than normal, but their finishing was sharp enough to turn a quieter spell of chances into a comfortable afternoon.

Strasbourg were the reverse on the figures. They had 53% of the ball, where their away average is 45%, and their expected goals came to 0.91 against a usual 0.59. Their shot count of 12 was almost exactly what they normally manage on the road, so this was not a side that simply shot more, but one that created better openings. What they lacked was the finish, and a side that usually averages 1.7 goals away from home came away with none.

The discipline numbers add a little more colour. Strasbourg committed 17 fouls to Rennes's 10, and three of their players were booked: Gessime Yassine, Giovanni Reyna and Pape Demba Diop. Dia was Rennes's only name in the book. Nobody was sent off, so every goal and every card was settled within the normal rules of the match and the score is a fair reflection of what happened on the pitch.

Szymański's afternoon was the clearest individual story. He took four shots, two of them on target, and his second goal came from a pass by Mousa Al-Tamari. The second half was then largely about protecting that lead, and Rennes did so with a goalkeeper, B. Samba, who made three saves while Strasbourg's keeper had only one to make.

The result leaves Rennes seventh in the table with 13 points from seven matches, while Strasbourg sit fourteenth on 7 points from the same number of games.

Player of the matchS. Szymański2 goals8.9

B. Dia1 goal7.7

A. Rouault1 shot on target7.6

B. Samba3 saves7.2