PARIS (AP) — Defender Kenny Lala landed Brest in trouble with two bad mistakes during a 3-1 loss at Rennes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Lala was at fault for the first two Rennes goals after Brest had taken an early lead through striker Mama Baldé.
Rennes replied with goals in quick succession from top scorer Estéban Lepaul and Jordan winger Mousa Al-Taamari.
They had Lala to thank.
On the first goal, the right back got the ball stuck in his feet and lost his balance, allowing Al-Taamari to break down the left and whip in a cross for Lepaul to slide the ball home in the 24th minute.
One minute later, Lala tried a first-time back pass on the halfway line and mistimed the waist-high ball completely, with Al-Taamari profiting to race clear and finish confidently.
Rennes added a third goal late on through 18-year-old striker Mohamed Kader Meïté, who turned in Quentin Merlin’s cross from the left.
Later Saturday, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was at Metz.
PSG coach Luis Enrique started Matveï Safonov in goal even though No. 1 Lucas Chevalier had recovered from a minor ankle injury.
In Saturday’s other game, Paris FC hosted Toulouse.
Street fight
Rival fans from Metz and PSG fought in a brief street fight a few hours before the game.
Online images showed about 70-80 hooligans involved in a clash before riot police dispersed them with tear gas.
Nice in bad form
In Sunday’s games, Lens hosts a Nice side in complete disarray after losing eight straight games.
Nice’s form is so bad that it sits bottom of the 36-team Europa League group stage after losing all six games so far. ___
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