The opening match of the Ligue 1 season 2025-2026 took place at Roazhon Park, where Rennes won a tight victory over Marseille. The stakes were important, being the first game broadcast on the new channel Ligue 1+. The atmosphere was filled with emotion, despite a lack of clear opportunities for both teams. Rennes started the game with a 5-3-2 roster, but had to deal with major absences, notably Faye, replaced by Aït Boudlal in the central hinge. Rongier took over the captain’s armband, while Cisse was absent from the bench.

The match was marked by a decisive turning point at the beginning of the second period. Aït Boudlal was expelled by the VAR for a melee against Murillo, leaving Rennes in numerical inferiority for a crucial period. Despite this disadvantage, the Rennais were able to resist the Marseille assaults, although several opportunities were missed by the attackers of both teams. Al-Tamari and Rabiot had dangerous opportunities for Marseille, while Al-Tamari and Merlin offered opportunities in Rennes, without initial success.

Rennes’ victory came in the last seconds of the game, thanks to a spectacular action by Merlin who found Blas alone against goaltender Rulli. Blas managed to beat Rulli, sealing the 1-0 win for Rennes. This victory, achieved in numerical inferiority, is a great start to the season for Stade Rennais FC at Roazhon Park. The game was played on Friday 15 August 2025 at 8:45 p.m. in front of 360 spectators, including 1300 visitors. Arbitrator Jérémy Pignard whistled the game, with yellow cards for Rabiot, Rongier, Balerdi and red cards for Aït Boudlal.