SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Luuk de Jong scored the only goal for a dominant Sevilla as the Spanish club defeated Rennes 1-0 for its first win in Group E of the Champions League on Wednesday.
De Jong struck in the 55th minute with a shot from near the penalty spot after a long cross by Marcos Acuña from the left flank.
In the other group match, Chelsea won 4-0 at Krasnodar. Sevilla and Chelsea had drawn 0-0 in their opener. They lead the group with four points each, with Rennes and Krasnodar tied with one point each.
It was Sevilla's first win after four matches in all competitions. Rennes is on a four-game winless run.
Sevilla, last season's Europa League champion, dominated from the start and created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the match at an empty Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville. Rennes goalkeeper Alfred Gomis made a few great saves to keep the score even in the first half, but De Jong finally broke the deadlock with an impressive run to meet Acuña's precise cross.
Sevilla had more than 20 attempts on goal against only a couple by Rennes. The Spanish club hit the crossbar with shots from Munir El Haddadi in the first half and Joan Jordán in the second.
“It was a key match for us to regain our confidence after some poor results,” said Sevilla defender Jules Koundé, who was back in action after testing positive for COVID-19. “We are happy to have created so many chances, we were close to scoring many more goals.”
Rennes lost defender Daniele Rugani because of an injury less than 20 minutes into the match.
Sevilla had lost two straight games in the Spanish league, with its last win coming against Levante on Oct. 1. Rennes hadn't won in its last three matches, which included a 1-1 home draw against Krasnodar in their Champions League opener.
In the next matches, Sevilla hosts Krasnodar on Nov. 4 while Rennes visits Chelsea.
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