Rennes lose at Lorient after Omari horror show
LORIENT, France (AP) — Warmed Omari endured a nightmarish afternoon, scoring an own goal and giving the ball away for the other, as Rennes lost ground in the race for European spots after a 2-1 defeat at Lorient in the French league on Sunday.
Lorient snapped a five-game winless streak to move out of the relegation zone while Rennes stayed eighth with just one win in its last eight games.
Omari turned a cross from Lorient forward Aiyegun Tosin into his own net in the fourth minute. Omari’s clearance initially bounced off the post, but the Rennes centerback couldn’t sort out his feet and bundled the rebound over the goal line.
Rennes midfielder Ludovic Blas equalized in the 21st with a low strike into the far corner.
But on the stroke of halftime, Omari failed to clear the danger, chesting the ball into the path of Isaak Toure, who beat goalkeeper Steve Mandanda from close range.
Omari was replaced at halftime by Christopher Wooh.
Mandanda limited the damage by saving a low effort from Eli Junior Kroupi in the 55th and punching away a header from Toure in the 60th.
Rennes paid the price for a young backline whose average age is just 21. The club missed Belgium international Arthur Theate, who is the leader of the backline, because of a calf problem.
Rennes finished fourth in the last campaign but could struggle to replicate that form this season after failing to sign a defender in the summer.
The ninth round ends later Sunday with Lille vs. Brest, Nantes vs. Montpellier, Toulouse vs. Reims, Monaco vs. Metz, and Lyon vs. Clermont.
On Saturday, Nice took the provisional lead by edging Marseille 1-0 while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved into second place with a 3-0 rout of Strasbourg.
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