In the shadow of Paris Saint-Germain, a late autumn afternoon brought a rare suggestion that Ligue 1 may have more than one story to tell. Paris FC struck deep into stoppage time to beat Rennes, keeping pace with the champions in a crowded summit where PSG, Lille, Monaco and their city neighbours are level on points.
A capital club stays in touch
PSG remain the side every French challenger must measure itself against, having collected 12 of the past 14 Ligue 1 titles. Yet Luis Enrique’s team dropped points during the opening rounds, allowing a group of rivals to enter October with reason to look upward rather than merely protect their own positions.
Paris FC, coached by Liam Rosenior, are among those early contenders. Their meeting with Rennes was settled at the very end, delivering three points that ensured they would not lose ground on the league leaders.
- PSG, Paris FC, Lille and Monaco are tied on points at the top of the table.
- Paris FC’s win came on a Sunday afternoon against Rennes.
- The result maintained the pressure on the reigning French champions.
- It remains early in the campaign, with the endurance of PSG’s challengers still to be tested over the season.
Sinayoko supplies the decisive moments
Sinayoko produced the afternoon’s standout piece of finishing in the 76th minute. With Paris FC trailing in a match already rich in turns, he sent an overhead kick from inside the penalty area into the net to make it 3-2.
He was not finished. In the seventh minute of added time, Sinayoko scored again to secure the victory and complete a remarkable personal intervention in a game that had swung repeatedly.
Four penalties in an extraordinary Rennes match
The contest also entered an unusual statistical corner of Ligue 1 history. Four penalties were awarded, and every one of them was converted. French top-flight football had not seen four spot-kicks scored in the same match for 34 years.
For now, Paris FC can enjoy a place alongside the established names at the summit. Whether the club from the other side of the capital can remain close enough to trouble PSG by the final weeks is a much larger question, particularly given the champions’ long command of the domestic game.
