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Olivier Giroud had the last word at home when he marched onto the field as a late substitute and provided the winning header in one of the game’s final attacks, earning Chelsea a 2-1 away win against Rennes. After Sevilla’s 2-1 victory over Krasnodar, Chelsea have already qualified from Group E and entered the knockout phase of the Champions League.
The two teams arrived at Roazhon Park moving in completely different directions. While Chelsea flew on a five-game winning streak, including their 3-0 win over a 10-man Rennes at Stamford Bridge, Rennes was desperately seeking their start-to-season form and had lost in five of their last six games.
From the first minute, all of this became clear on the pitch, as all of Chelsea entered the game full of vitality and within minutes asphyxiated the home team in the last third. Callum Hudson-Odoi had started just four times this season, two of them in the Carabao Cup, and he immediately made it clear that he wanted more.
It was his vision that provided one of the first clear chances as he slid down the Rennes lines, finding Timo Werner with a strong cross after a quick one-touch combination with Cesar Azpilicueta. Standing twenty feet from goal, Werner threw the ball over the bar.
While Werner struggled long after his mistake before finally fading out of the first half, Hudson-Odoi’s energy on the right flank was contagious. He dribbled fluently, initiated pass combinations and incessantly tried to make something happen. His industry was rewarded after half an hour when Mason Mount battled James Léa Siliki deep in the Chelsea half, winning the ball before finding Hudson-Odoi with a divine pass. Hudson-Odoi paced the field and coldly rolled his shot low into the net.
Still, this was a completely different game than at home, in which Rennes was convicted of a penalty in the 10th minute and then left-back Dalbert was harshly sent off for one hand after giving away a second penalty. The French side were brave in London even after dropping two goals. Here, after seizing another clear opportunity from Mount, they immediately bounced back and spent the second half on the front foot.
Although all eyes were on the return of 18-year-old Edouard Camavinga, it was another 18-year-old Rennes star, Belgian Jeremy Doku, who was a threat throughout and immediately attracted attention. In particular, he will chase Ben Chilwell after intimidating the left-back in more than a couple of loose, panicky passes. Indecision in the last third of forwards Serhou Guirassy and Léa Siliki prevented Rennes from progressing further.
With the magic of Chelsea’s first half hour gone, Rennes continued to prevail and soon had greater possession as they continually created danger from their impressive right flank from Doku and Hamari Traoré. While in possession, Chelsea timidly opened the first half and the forwards struggled to break through the French team’s tight defense.
As Rennes created ample opportunities, it looked like they would be thwarted by one of their own, as Édouard Mendy, back in Rennes for the first time since moving to Chelsea, made a quick series of saves. After denying Guirassy a clearance on goal, he made a spectacular double save in the back corner, knocking out Gerzino Nyamsi’s powerful header. Finally, the pressure counted from the set piece Guirassy jumped high to meet a Benjamin Bourigeaud corner, launching his header into the net.
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All the positivity could have been soaked up by the Chelsea squad after failing to take their chances early on, but instead the substitutes took the last few minutes on their own and navigated a last minute escape. Hakim Ziyech dribbled brilliantly and set up Werner, whose shot was brilliantly blocked by Rennes goalkeeper Alfred Gomis. When the ball flew into the sky and seemed to stay there for an eternity, Giroud leapt high to catch it and landed a signature header to give Chelsea a sixth straight victory.
