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Omnipresent in his right lane, the 23-year-old full-back will have done everything to give a smile to Stade Rennais, finally beaten by Villarreal (2-3) on the last day of Group F of the Europa League. A few seconds after the Spanish opening score, the Frenchman equalized after a technical festival in front of his opponents Altimira and Reina (37th). Never stingy with calls, Assignon once again exceeded his function at the very end of the meeting. As a surface fox, he thought he could score a double and give Rennes a draw, synonymous with first place. But a little-known rule of football decided otherwise.
Connected to alternating current since his arrival last summer, the Rennes attacking midfielder showed his good face this evening, coming off the bench in the 54th minute to compensate for Benjamin Bourigeaud’s injury. Following a first shot on target, the former Nantais player scored the 2-2 goal with a sharp left-footed shot from 20 meters. A Blas-style shot which relieved an entire stadium for just a few moments, Dani Parejo deceiving Steve Mandanda a minute later. Brought in to revitalize a Rennes attack quickly running out of ideas, the number 11 of the Rouge et Noir fulfilled his contract. In vain.
Put under pressure by the success (2-1) of Union Saint-Gilloise against Liverpool (already qualified), Toulouse did not flinch. Better, the Violets went for victory (2-1) on the LASK pitch thanks to goals from Thijs Dallinga and Gabriel Suazo. Led by a very important Guillaume Restes in the cages, the team coached by Carles Martinez Novell provided the essentials. Next February she will play in the play-offs against a Champions League winner. After the Liverpool Reds, the Stadium could host AC Milan or Benfica Lisbon for example. The Pink City is salivating in advance.
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Like last season against Fenerbahçe, Stade Rennais lost first place in their group and will therefore have to come up against a former C1 resident. A year ago, the Bretons suffered the law in the play-offs against Shakhtar Donetsk (1-2, 2-1 then 5-4 tab), an opponent that they could also find in the draw next Monday. Given the scenario of the meeting, Julien Stéphan’s players may regret not having held at least a draw. Coming back twice, they were once again betrayed by their defensive naivety, which is very costly at this level.
Active in the first period, the Rennais saw his momentum stopped as soon as he returned from the locker room. He was forced to limp out when his ankle turned on contact with the ball. His injury allowed the decisive entry of Blas but could prove unfortunate for Stade Rennais, in difficulty in Ligue 1, which must travel to Toulouse and host Clermont before the Christmas break.
Referee of this Rennes-Villarreal, Atilla Karaoglan suffered the events during a large part of the meeting. His repeated fouls and the shower of yellow cards given (7 in the first half) for sometimes trivial actions added enormous tension to the match. In the second half, the calm and lucidity of the Turkish referee reappeared. Until the last second and the goal refused to Assignon due to law 13 of the game. After taking his free kick on the crossbar, Enzo Le Fée recovered the ball before passing it on. This time, Mr Karaoglan made the right decision with the help of VAR, much to the chagrin of Rennes.
