Ntep fires Rennes to glory

Paul-Georges Ntep scored his first Ligue 1 goal as Rennes claimed their first win on the road since October with a 3-0 win at Nantes.

Paul-Georges Ntep scored his first Ligue 1 goal as Rennes claimed their first win on the road since October with a 3-0 win at Nantes. Ntep, a January signing from Auxerre, needed just 16 minutes to fire the visitors into an early lead while team mate Anders Konradsen also grabbed his first goal for the Brittany club before Ola Toivonen added a third in stoppage time. Defeat for Nantes now leaves them without a league win in five, with just two goals to their name this year, and languishing in 14th place - their worst position since September. Les Canaris wasted a great opportunity to take the lead just five minutes in when Vincent Bessat found Georges-Kevin N'Koudou just yards out but the 19-year-old fired over with the goal at his mercy. Rennes hit back though and, after Paul-Georges Ntep and Cheikh M'Bengue combined to find Foued Kadir all alone inside the area, the former Marseille man shot weakly straight at Remy Riou in what was proving to be an entertaining opening. Ntep went one better than his team mate though just after the quarter hour mark when he broke into the area from a M'Bengue pass and confidently fired his first-ever goal beyond Riou from a very tight angle. The visitors continued to trouble Nantes on the break and Toivonen almost doubled their lead but his header shaved the post before Serge Gakpe fired just over Benoit Costil's crossbar on the turn at the other end. Rennes thought they had a penalty with little over half hour played when Ntep broke free before being barged off the ball by goalkeeper Riou but referee Clement Turpin waved play on and Michel Der Zakarian's side survived another scare. Nantes looked an improved side after the interval but, despite seeing a lot of the ball, struggled to break down a resolute Rennes side and had little to shout about in front of goal. With just over an hour gone, though, the game was all but over as the visitors doubled their lead in superb style against the run of play. Ntep showed good pace down the right before finding Kamil Grosicki who rolled the ball into Konradsen's path and the Norwegian midfielder dispatched a wonderful curling shot beyond Riou from 25 yards out. Phillipe Montanier's men were full of confidence following their second of the day and only Riou prevented a third goal for the visitors after M'Bengue shot straight at him following a free-flowing build-up involving the lively Ntep. Rennes wrapped up all three points in injury time though when Abdoulaye Doucoure teed up Toivonen and he coolly clipped the ball beyond Riou for his fourth goal in five appearances.