Rennes 2-0 PSG: 5 talking points as wasteful visitors suffer first defeat of season | Ligue 1 2021-22

PSG's winning run in Ligue 1 came to an end as Rennes scored either side of half-time at Roazhon Park to end the league leaders' perfect start to the season.

PSG started the game brightly, with Lionel Messi whipping in a 31st-minute free-kick against the woodwork, with Alfred Gomis well beaten. Before that Kylian Mbappe and Neymar missed sitters. The missed chances came back to haunt the visitors.

Gaëtan Laborde had a great outing, and was at the heart of the two quick-fire goals scored by Rennes. Kamaldeen Sulemana made some good runs down the left flank. His quick thinking help set up Laborde for the opener, though Nuno Mendes' failure to react also helped the hosts.

Laborde turned provider for the second goal, racing down the right flank and catching PSG off-guard. His inviting cross was met well by Flavien Tait.

PSG responded by dominating possession, but could not find their feet against the hosts, who sat back and defended their two-goal lead. The visitors had a goal disallowed for off-side. But VAR helped them save face, as a late penalty call for Rennes was turned down.

With Lionel Messi suffering his first defeat in PSG colours, here's a look at five talking points from the game.

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#5 PSG's 100% record comes to an end

PSG failed to score a goal for the first time this season.

The PSG juggernaut in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season was brought to a halt by Rennes. With that the league's leaders' eight-game winning start to the season came to an end.

It was PSG's first defeat in the league since April. But the manner of their defeat should be a bit concerning. The visitors just couldn't handle Rennes' counter-attacks, who scored twice from their four shots on target.

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#4 Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe yet to hit top form for PSG

PSG have one of the best attacking trios in Europe at the moment.

Lionel Messi is still searching for his first Ligue 1 goal. Kylian Mbappe has not scored in his last five outings across competitions, while Neymar has just one goal to his name across competitions.

Despite having such a fearsome attacking trio, PSG could not record a single shot on target against Rennes. The closest they came to getting on the scoresheet was Messi's free-kick that rattled the crossbar.

It was the first time since April that PSG failed to find the back of the net when they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

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#3 Bruno Genesio's impressive record against PSG continues

Bruno Genesio has a great record against PSG.

PSG have been a force to reckon with in Ligue 1 since their takeover by QSI in 2011. Only a few teams have been able to record memorable wins against them. With their win over the league leaders, Rennes have joined Lyon with five wins, the most against PSG during this period.

Current Rennes manager Bruno Genesio has won four games as a coach against the Paris giants. This one was his first with Rennes, with his other three victories over PSG coming while he was with Lyon.

This was only the third win of the season for Rennes. Bruno Genesio will be happy that his side are the first to defeat the runaway Ligue 1 leaders this season.

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#2 Mauricio Pochettino needs to experiment a bit with his star-studded squad

PSG have a six-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.

Star-studded PSG have a comfortable six-point lead in the league standings, despite their defeat to Rennes. Despite Messi, Neymar and Mbappe starting against Rennes, PSG struggled to produce any remarkable attacking output.

Pochettino has resorted to a 4-3-3 formation to accommodate the three superstars, with Messi donning a false nine role. With PSG having a comfortable lead atop the league standings, the Argentine tactician should look to keep his team fresh by making better use of his squad depth.

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#1 Lionel Messi's wait for a first Ligue 1 goal continues

Lionel Messi has scored just once for PSG.

Lionel Messi's search for his first Ligue 1 goal for PSG continued, as he drew a blank against Rennes. After opening his PSG account in the 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City in midweek, Messi failed to end his Ligue 1 duck.

The Argentine magician came tantalisingly close to opening his Ligue 1 account, with his first-half effort from a free-kick rattling against the crossbar. That was the closest Messi would come to finding the back of the net in this game. The Rennes defeat marks Messi's first reverse across competitions for PSG.

The international break couldn't have come at the right time for Lionel Messi, who'll hope for better returns when the league season resumes in two weeks' time.