Sochaux never gave up, says Renard

Sochaux coach Herve Renard praised the belief of his players after they moved a step closer to avoiding relegation from Ligue 1.

Sochaux’s fight for survival was boosted by their hard-fought 2-1 victory at Rennes on Saturday, which extended the club’s unbeaten streak to seven games.

The French side remain third-bottom with one game remaining but are just one point adrift of Evian TG, who they host next week.

Scores were level at 1-1 with 18 minutes remaining at the Stade de la Route de Loriente after Rennes substitute Paul Ntep cancelled out Jordan Ayew’s first-half effort.

But substitute Emmanuel Mayuka was the hero for Sochaux, breaking the deadlock 12 minutes from time to clinch maximum points for the visiting team.

“There is pride in having fought throughout the last four, five months,” said Renard, who is reportedly Lyon’s number one target should coach Remi Garde depart at season’s end.

“When there is a month and a half where we were eight points behind, a sense of resignation is among everyone. But the group continued to believe.

“We always believed in our lucky star and made the match to win tonight. It was a game like playing at home. What the boys have done is remarkable.”