Nacho Monreal own goal hands 10-man Arsenal defeat at Rennes

This was not just a defeat, it was a disintegration by Arsenal. They got off to an ideal start thanks to Alex Iwobi’s goal inside four minutes but by half-time they were a shambles, with Sokratis Papastathopoulous sent off for a plethora of bookable offences and Rennes equalising through a phenomenal strike by Benjamin Bourigeaud. Nacho Monreal inadvertently turned a cross into his own goal in the second half and Ismail Sarr made certain the scoreline reflected Rennes’ superiority by heading into the net in the 88th minute.

Arsenal will have to perform far better than this to mount a comeback in the second leg. They managed to do that in the last round but Rennes are no Bate Borisov and nor will they wilt the way Unai Emery’s side did here. Never before had Arsenal lost in France but here this time they fell without honour.

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