Lepaul Lights Up Roazhon Park: A Devastating Hat-Trick Buries Strasbourg

Worth Watching Futmetrix Score: 58/100. The match was decided in the 9th minute when Esteban Lepaul struck first, setting the tone for a rout that Strasbourg could never arrest.

Relentless Intensity, Clinical Finishing

Roazhon Park witnessed a bombardment. With 33 combined shots and an intensity rating of 10.5/10, this crunch match delivered theatre. Rennes controlled the narrative through sheer efficiency: just 41% possession, yet lethal precision in the box. Valentin Rongier orchestrated the chaos from midfield, threading five key passes, while Mohamed Kader Meite completed the attacking picture with a goal and an assist.

The Turning Point: Early Dominance

Lepaul struck in the 9th minute from Mousa Tamari's delivery. This early opener set the stakes. Strasbourg, despite commanding 59% possession and 586 accurate passes (89%), never found equilibrium. Their 20 shots lacked bite—only 2 found the target. By the 35th minute, Meite doubled the lead from Ait Boudlal's pass. The match was already decided.

The Hat-Trick That Sealed The Rout

Lepaul would not relent. At 48 minutes, he struck again, this time from Meite's assist. By the 60th minute, his third—a clinical finish from Rongier's service—had entered local folklore. A hat-trick: a rarity of the highest order, achieved by just 0.9% of scorers in Ligue 1. Strasbourg salvaged pride through substitute Sébastien Nanasi, who entered at 52 minutes and struck at 77 from Vinicius Barco's assist. Too little, far too late.