The Stade Rennais delivered another convincing performance in pre-season action, overcoming Belgian champions Club Bruges 2-1 at home thanks to a standout display by Estéban Lepaul.
Lepaul, the club’s top scorer from last season’s Ligue 1 campaign, opened the scoring just before halftime—his third goal of the summer—to give Rennes the lead. Issa Soumaré, a summer arrival from Le Havre, sealed the win in stoppage time, capping off a dominant display in front of the Roazhon Park faithful. Despite a late consolation goal for Bruges and a penalty saved by 20-year-old goalkeeper Kilian Belazzoug, Rennes maintained their momentum heading into their next friendly against Galatasaray on August 2.
Monaco’s preparation derailed in Lisbon
The AS Monaco suffered a setback in their pre-season campaign, falling 2-0 to Sporting CP in Lisbon—a second successive defeat under interim manager Filipe Luís. Deprived of several key players including international absentees, Monaco struggled to impose themselves against a disciplined Sporting side. Despite a strong defensive lineup featuring Lukas Hradecky in goal, the Kehrer-Dier partnership, and an attack led by Mika Biereth and Aleksandr Golovin, the Principality club found themselves outplayed. Sporting struck twice through Rafael Nel’s header (54th minute) and Jesse Derry’s curling effort (68th minute), with Hradecky only managing to keep the scoreline respectable thanks to a late save that denied Monaco a heavier defeat. The club now turns its attention to a clash with Cercle Bruges next week in an attempt to salvage some momentum ahead of the new campaign.
The RC Strasbourg, meanwhile, endured another frustrating outing, losing 2-0 to English side Blackburn Rovers. Andrew Omobamidele’s own goal put Blackburn ahead early, and despite a valiant effort from Polish goalkeeper Milosz Piekutowski, Strasbourg’s hopes were dashed when Samuel Amo-Ameyaw missed a penalty he had won himself. Blackburn extended their lead late in the game through a long-range strike by Todd Cantwell. Strasbourg will now shift their focus to their Ligue 1 opener against Olympique de Marseille as they continue to fine-tune their squad ahead of the new season.
Friendly matches – Ligue 1 pre-season, July 25, 2026
Results:
– Lens 2-2 Charleroi (BEL)
– Angers 2-1 Créteil (N1)
– Troyes 3-0 Grenoble (L2)
– Le Mans 1-0 Nantes (L2)
– Guingamp (L2) 0-2 Lorient
– Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) 2-1 Lille
– Rennes 2-1 Club Bruges (BEL)
– Auxerre 1-2 Orléans (L3)
– Marseille 0-3 Nice
– Le Havre 2-1 Red Star (L2)
– Toulouse 1-1 Rodez (L2)
– Strasbourg 0-2 Blackburn (ENG)
– Sporting CP (POR) 2-0 Monaco
