Ligue 1: Rennes rescue a draw
Saturday 10 January 2015 21:49, UK
Paul-Georges Ntep's seventh goal of the season rescued a point for Rennes and spared the blushes of team-mate Ola Toivonen.
Both sides went into the Ligue 1 match on the back of losing runs, with Evian beaten in their previous four league games and Rennes three.
Come the conclusion a 1-1 draw was a fair result, although Rennes - and notably Toivonen - will be kicking themselves they failed to come away with the three points after the Swede missed a second-half penalty and several other chances.
Arguably Toivonen should have opened the scoring in the 10th minute, but after Benjamin Leroy blocked his initial shot and saved a follow up from Ntep, Cedric Cambon then hacked away a second effort from the 28-year-old.
Evian soon responded, with Nicolas Benezet seeing a goalbound header blocked by Romain Danze, before Toivonen glanced a header past a post in the 20th minute.
After Leroy again produced another fine save midway through the half to deny Abdoulaye Doucoure, opposite number Benoit Costil kept the scores level at the break with a fine stop of his own from Benezet.
Seven minutes into the second half Toivonen was handed his clearest opportunity to get on the scoresheet, only for Leroy to turn aside his penalty after Olivier Sorlin was adjudged to have handled inside the area.
Spurred on by Leroy's heroics, Evian grabbed the lead in the 63rd minute courtesy of Adrien Thomasson's first goal for the club.
The home side's joy, however, was short-lived, with Toivonen at least playing his part in setting up Ntep for a fine strike on the turn just three minutes later.
It was not to be Toivonen's night, though, with Leroy again a thorn in his side in the 77th minute by turning away a point-blank header.
In the dying stages Evian almost grabbed the victory, only for Fallou Diagne to clear off the line from Daniel Wass with Costil beaten.
