Man of the Match: Bourigeaud (8)
The Rennes legend continued to write his own story with a stunning hat-trick, his first in his career, and against AC Milan no less. Bourigeaud’s heroics, despite the defeat, prevented Rennes from seeing everything in black and white, and he can be proud of his performance.
Stade Rennais F.C. : 4-3-3
Mandanda (6.5): A great game, making several crucial saves, notably in the 2nd minute, and maintaining his level throughout the game despite conceding 2 goals.
Truffert (6): A good game from Truffert, but he didn’t stay wide enough on the counter-attacks.
Theate (6.5): A commanding performance, making some excellent interventions and reassuring clearances.
Omari (6): A good game marred by an error on the second Milan goal. Despite a very good tackle, he was unlucky not to clear the ball and left it to Leão, who finished with a bit of luck.
G. Doué (6.5): A controlled game, yes, against a very tough opponent in Rafael Leão. He allowed the Portuguese international very little. It was only after his exit, replaced by Seidu in the 57th minute, that Leão scored the 2-2 in the… 58th minute.
D. Doué (5.5): Found few openings, the young and promising Rennes player had been targeted by a Milan defence that watched him like a hawk. Replaced by Blas in the 71st minute, who made a good impression.
Santamaria (7): A huge game, he ran all over the place in a very thankless system for him. He was the go-to man for all the clearances with brilliant diagonals and delivered a perfect performance. Replaced by Matusiwa in the 57th minute after a very intense game.
Bourigeaud: See above.
Terrier (5.5): Not a memorable game despite the importance of the event. He was not very sharp, not often in the box, and he was also late on his team’s pressing, which cost Rennes a goal (22nd). Replaced by Salah in the 72nd minute.
Kalimuendo (6): He too, like Santamaria, had a thankless task, facing a very physical Milan defence, but he managed to get away from them and fire off a few shots.
Gouiri (6): Out of position, the Algerian international played a good game but lacked the knowledge of the right wing position. Replaced by Yildirim in the 84th minute.
AC Milan : 4-2-3-1
Maignan (6): It took a world-class Bourigeaud to beat him three times, as he made a string of good saves.
Hernandez (6): A true captain, he masters the art of time-wasting like Maignan (but not as subtly as the goalkeeper). It may not be very fair play, but they are obviously right to do it.
Gabbia (5.5): The Rennes players knew him well, as he had already played against them in the group stage of this same Europa League 2023-2024. He played a decent game in his third meeting against Rennes.
Kjaer (6.5): A tower of strength, he commanded all the crosses and left the Rennes players without a solution. The match would have undoubtedly been different without him.
Florenzi (5): A fairly average game for him, who retreated without really facing up to the challenge. Replaced by Terraciano in the 84th minute.
Reijnders (6): Too easily left free by the Rennes players, he found it easy in midfield.
Bennacer (7): A great game for him, the metronome of the midfield. He was present in all the build-up and possession phases of his team. As soon as he came off, his team lost ground. Replaced by Loftus-Cheek in the 61st minute.
Leão (5.5): He did not have the same influence as in the first leg, almost being dominated by Guéla Doué. Replaced by Chukwueze in the 61st minute.
Musah (4.5): A case of “out of sight, out of mind”? He was perfectly controlled by Santamaria and then by Matusiwa and was completely unable to influence the game. Milan played with 10 men.
Pulisic (6): Caused a lot of problems for the Rennes players, especially Adrien Truffert, with every acceleration. Replaced by Okafor in the 61st minute.
Jović (6): He did what was expected of him in this match: to take advantage of opportunities. And he did it well. As evidenced by his opportunistic goal in the 22nd minute.
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