Nice extends great home run with 3-2 win over plucky Rennes

Nice beat Rennes 3-2 to move into fourth place in Ligue 1 on Friday.

Both sides produced chance after chance in an entertaining match and it was the home side which took the lead after 12 minutes.

Tanguy Ndombélé’s superb lofted pass put Evann Guessand through on goal and he held off a grappling defender to side-foot the opener.

Arnaud Kalimuendo equalized after 27 minutes for Rennes but Sofiane Diop put the home side ahead again seven minutes later when he picked up a poor pass by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and fired home.

Former Rennes player Gaëtan Laborde made it 3-1 in first-half stoppage time with the aid of a neat assist from Guessand.

The visitor got a goal back three minutes into the second half when the keeper spilled a long-range shot and Adrien Truffert followed up to poke into the empty net.

Both sides pushed for more goals but Nice held on, even after Pablo Rosario was sent off in stoppage time for a high tackle.

The result preserved Nice’s unbeaten home record and lifted it on to 27 points, equal with Lille and two points ahead of Lyon.

Rennes remained 12th.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer