PSG beaten at home in French league for first time this season

PARIS: Arnaud Kalimuendo scored against his boyhood club as leaders Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-0 by Rennes in their first home loss in the French league this season on Sunday.

The win ended PSG’s 35-match unbeaten run in the league at the Parc des Princes.

Marseille later won 2-1 to end Reims’ 19-match unbeaten run and cut PSG’s lead to seven points with 10 matches left.

The 21-year-old Kalimuendo joined PSG’s youth system when he was 9 years old and signed with Rennes last summer looking for more playing time away from the armada of PSG stars. Kalimuendo was under contract with PSG until 2024 but spent the last two seasons on loan at Lens.

Rennes, who had already prevailed in the corresponding fixture in Brittany two months ago, made the most of PSG’s passivity and relied on goalkeeper Steve Mandanda’s decisive saves to produce a clean sheet. Karl Toko Ekambi scored Rennes’ first goal.

PSG looked slow and lethargic, relying in vain on the skills of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Mbappe had two good chances to break the deadlock in the first half but the France star was denied twice.

Mandanda stopped Mbappe’s chipped effort in the 26th minute. The former France ‘keeper then blocked Mbappe’s shot from Messi’s deep pass with a superb reflex save in the 40th.

Rennes waited patiently and took their chance at the stroke of halftime when Benjamin Bourigeaud picked out Toko Ekambi behind the defense. The Cameroon forward controlled the ball with a delicate touch and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with an angled shot.

PSG players were whistled off the field by some fans, and things got worse when they returned from the locker room.

Kalimuendo made it 2-0 in the 48th after PSG clumsily gave the ball away in