Pre-season friendlies are already setting the tone for the 2026-2027 football campaign. On Saturday, the Stade Rennais delivered a convincing performance against Belgium’s Club Bruges, securing a 2-1 victory. Meanwhile, AS Monaco suffered a setback, losing 2-0 to Sporting CP in Lisbon, while Racing Club de Strasbourg also fell short against Blackburn Rovers, ending their preparation with a 2-0 defeat.
Stade Rennais shines with a late winner
The Stade Rennais continued their strong pre-season form, following their earlier win over Guingamp. This time, they faced Belgium’s defending league champions, Club Bruges, and emerged victorious despite a spirited comeback from their opponents. Estéban Lepaul, the club’s top scorer from last season’s Ligue 1 campaign, opened the scoring just before halftime—his third goal of the summer. Issa Soumaré, a new signing from Le Havre, sealed the victory with a late strike. Though Club Bruges pulled one back, Kilian Belazzoug, the young Rennes goalkeeper, made a crucial penalty save to preserve the result. The victory keeps Rennes in high spirits as they prepare for their next friendly against Galatasaray on August 2.
Monaco’s struggles continue in Lisbon
AS Monaco endured another disappointing outing, this time on the road against Sporting CP in Lisbon. Without several of their key players—including Balogun, Camara, Zakaria, Akliouche, and Paul Pogba—Monaco lacked the firepower needed to compete. Despite a solid defensive lineup featuring Lukas Hradecky, Kehrer, and Dier, along with an attack led by Mika Biereth and Aleksandr Golovin, they were outplayed for the majority of the match. Rafael Nel put Sporting ahead with a header in the 54th minute, followed by a curling strike from Jesse Derry in the 68th. Though Hradecky was called into action late, a post saved Monaco from a heavier defeat. Their next challenge comes against Cercle Bruges next week.
Strasbourg’s rough patch continues
Racing Club de Strasbourg began their pre-season with a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Sporting CP and followed it up with another setback, this time against England’s Blackburn Rovers. After an early own goal from Andrew Omobamidele, Strasbourg’s Milosz Piekutowski made several key saves, keeping his team in the game. However, a missed penalty by Samuel Amo-Ameyaw in the 20th minute proved costly. Blackburn’s Todd Cantwell extended their lead late with a long-range strike. Strasbourg will now turn their attention to their Ligue 1 opener against Olympique de Marseille.
Ligue 1 pre-season friendlies – Saturday, July 25, 2026
- Lens 2-2 Charleroi
- Angers 2-1 Créteil
- Troyes 3-0 Grenoble
- Le Mans 1-0 Nantes
- Guingamp 0-2 Lorient
- Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 Lille
- Stade Rennais 2-1 Club Bruges
- Auxerre 1-2 Orléans
- Marseille 0-3 Nice
- Le Havre 2-1 Red Star
- Toulouse 1-1 Rodez
- Strasbourg 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
- Sporting CP 2-0 AS Monaco
