10-Man Arsenal Stumble in UEFA Europa League 1st Leg with Loss vs. Rennes | Bleacher Report

Arsenal slipped to a 3-1 defeat to Rennes in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday at the Roazhon Park.

Alex Iwobi gave the visitors the perfect start with the opening goal after just three minutes. The winger curled in a cross from the right that sneaked past goalkeeper Tomas Koubek at his far post.

However, there was drama at the end of the half as Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off after picking up a second yellow card, and Benjamin Bourigeaud fired in an equaliser for Rennes.

Rennes made the most of their man advantage and took the lead on 65 minutes through a Nacho Monreal own goal. Mehdi Zeffane latched on to a loose ball and sent in a cross which the defender deflected past goalkeeper Petr Cech.

It was a deserved goal for the hosts, who were the better team, and they extended their lead with just minutes of normal time remaining after a quick counter-attack.

James Lea Siliki sent in a great cross from the left and found an unmarked Ismaila Sarr flying in at the back post to head past Cech.

Arsenal Too Fragile in Defence to Win Europa League

Arsenal looked in good shape to secure a first-leg win when they went ahead in the opening minutes in France, but they were undone by defensive mistakes and now face a tough task to qualify.

Sokratis picked up two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes to leave his team to play more than half the match with 10 men:

Manager Unai Emery did not seem too impressed with the Greece international:

Sokratis was not the only defender to endure a tough night for the Gunners. Shkodran Mustafi started at right-back and struggled in the first half:

The German was able to continue and moved into central defence at the break as Emery tweaked his side after the dismissal.

However, the Arsenal boss was unable to prevent his side from conceding twice more to put their hopes of progressing in the tournament in real jeopardy.

Monreal was the man to give Rennes the lead by putting past his own goalkeeper, but the goal was the culmination of several mistakes:

Rennes continued to threaten during the second half, particularly through the speed of Sarr down the right flank.

It was fitting that the 21-year-old scored Rennes’ third goal, arriving at the far post to beat Cech and give Arsenal a mountain to climb in the second leg:

It’s a poor result for Arsenal, who were in charge of the game but lost their way after Sokratis was sent off. Rennes will pose a big threat on the counter in the return leg, and Arsenal do not look strong enough defensively to last much longer in this competition.

What’s Next?

Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Sunday when they take on Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. Rennes play on the same day at home to Caen in Ligue 1.