Rennes rescue draw against Auxerre

Yacine Brahimi's long-range equaliser earned Rennes a well deserved point in a 1-1 draw with Auxerre, leaving them fifth in Ligue 1. Dennis Oliech's early goal gave relegation-threatened Auxerre the lead, which they held for nearly an hour despite mounting pressure. But Brahimi levelled matters after his side had hit the woodwork, had a goal disallowed and been kept at bay by goalkeeper Olivier Sorin. Kenyan international Oliech put the visitors in front in the tenth minute, finishing superbly as he slotted past keeper Benoit Costil after John Boye's error had let him in. Rennes quickly responded, though, and Mevlut Erding steered Jires Kembo Ekoko's cross over the bar before Jonathan Pitroipa was hauled down by Cedric Hengbart as he got a shot away. Sorin punched away Kembo Ekoko's shot after the forward seized on a half-cleared corner and beat Alain Traore. And when Julien Feret's deflected free-kick fell to Romain Danze, the defender set up Kembo Ekoko who drew another save from Sorin. There was no let-up at the start of the second half, Pitroipa latching onto Erding's pass and tricking his way past a defender before firing against the post. The offside flag denied Erding a 53rd-minute equaliser as he followed up after Sorin fumbled Vincent Pajot's drive. That was a warning shot for Sorin, but even so, the keeper failed to heed it and was again culpable as Brahimi let fly from 25 yards in the 66th minute and found the net. It was no more than Rennes deserved for their dominance of the game, but Auxerre will be disappointed to miss out on the three points.