In recent pre-season encounters, Stade Rennais showcased impressive form, clinching a 2-1 triumph over Club Brugge. Meanwhile, Monaco experienced a setback, falling 2-0 to Sporting in Portugal, and Strasbourg also suffered a 2-0 loss against England’s Blackburn.
Stade Rennais continued their strong start to the summer preparations. Following their victory against Guingamp just a week prior, the Breton side asserted dominance over reigning Belgian champions Club Brugge this Saturday. Once again, the dynamic duo of Estéban Lepaul and Issa Soumaré proved pivotal. Lepaul, last season’s top Ligue 1 scorer, found the net just before halftime – marking his third goal of the summer campaign. Soumaré, a new arrival from Le Havre, then sealed Rennes’ second goal late in the match. Despite Club Brugge pulling one back and a penalty save by 20-year-old Rennais goalkeeper Kilian Belazzoug, Franck Haise’s squad demonstrated their current excellent condition in front of their home crowd at Roazhon Park. The team is set to continue their pre-season schedule with a match against Galatasaray on August 2.
Monaco’s stumble against Sporting
Missing several key players due to World Cup duties (Balogun, Camara, Zakaria, and Akliouche) as well as Paul Pogba, Monaco’s second pre-season fixture did not mirror the success of their initial 5-2 win against Saint-Priest. Traveling to Lisbon, the Principality club endured a 2-0 defeat, marking Filipe Luis’ second loss at the helm for Monaco. Despite a lineup featuring Lukas Hradecky in goal, a central defensive partnership of Kehrer-Dier, and an attack including Mika Biereth and Aleksandr Golovin, Monaco struggled to control the game. Hradecky was initially spared by the post in the 16th minute, but he could do little to stop Rafael Nel’s header in the 54th minute or Jesse Derry’s curling strike in the 68th. The crossbar again came to Monaco’s rescue late in the game, preventing an even wider margin of defeat. The club will aim for a stronger performance against Cercle Brugge next week.
After a resounding 7-0 defeat to Sporting in their opening friendly, Racing Club de Strasbourg faced another challenging match, succumbing to Blackburn with a 2-0 scoreline this Saturday. An unfortunate own goal from Andrew Omobamidele put the Racing behind. While Polish goalkeeper Milosz Piekutowski remained vigilant, 20-year-old English talent Samuel Amo-Ameyaw missed a penalty he had earned. Blackburn ultimately extended their lead late in the game through a powerful long-range shot from Todd Cantwell. Strasbourg will continue their summer preparations before their away trip to Marseille to kick off the championship season.
LIGUE 1 – FRIENDLY MATCHES 2026
Saturday, July 25
– Lens – Charleroi (BEL) : 2-2
– Angers – Créteil (N1) : 2-1
– Troyes – Grenoble (L2) : 3-0
– Le Mans – Nantes (L2) : 1-0
– Guingamp (L2) – Lorient : 0-2
– Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) – Lille : 2-1
– Rennes – Club Bruges (BEL) : 2-1
– Auxerre – Orléans (N3) : 1-2
– Marseille – Nice : 0-3
– Le Havre – Red Star (N) : 2-1
– Toulouse – Rodez (L2) : 1-1
– Strasbourg – Blackburn (ENG D2) : 0-2
– Sporting CP (POR) – Monaco : 2-0
