LIGUE 1: Lorient cope without Moffi to beat Rennes 2-1

Lorient showed it can cope without top scorer Terem Moffi by beating Rennes 2-1 in the French league on Friday.

Moffi’s 12 goals put him second in the scoring chart and one behind Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé.

Nigeria striker Moffi has been left out of the squad in the past two games after being linked with a move to Marseille or Nice before the January transfer window shuts.

Defender Montassar Talbi headed Lorient in front in the 13th minute and a fine strike from midfielder Théo Le Bris made it 2-0 in the 31st. Flavien Tait pulled one back for Rennes, which had beaten leader PSG in the previous round.

The win moved Lorient up to sixth place and two points behind fifth-placed Rennes, which lost ground in the race for third and a spot in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.