Starting against Olympiacos (0-0) for Stade Rennais, Boulaye Dia failed to score, bringing an end to three consecutive matches with at least one goal. Rennes sit provisionally 12th in the Europa League standings.
Roazhon Park did not erupt for Boulaye Dia. Starting at the head of Stade Rennais’s attack against Olympiacos, the Senegalese forward left the pitch in the 67th minute without scoring, in a goalless draw (0-0) on matchday 4 of the Europa League league phase, according to Wiwsport.
A closed encounter, then, that puts an end to a well-established personal run: the forward had scored in three consecutive matches. For the Breton club, this draw adds to a mixed European campaign.
Three matches with at least one goal
The run had been impressive, though. Against Juventus first, Dia scored from the penalty spot in a hard-fought match (2-2). He then found the net against Strasbourg (3-0), before doing it again against Nice (5-2). Three matches, at least one goal each time.
This match against the Greek club was his second start in the Europa League this season, after the one against Juventus; he came on as a substitute in the other two matches of the competition. It was also his fourth start in a row, and the first time in that sequence that he failed to score.
His individual record remains solid nonetheless: with a brace against Auxerre (4-1), Boulaye Dia has five goals in all competitions this season, including four in Ligue 1 and one in the Europa League, according to Wiwsport. Orange Sports / Media365, which compiles the tops and flops of the match, nonetheless places him among the flops against Olympiacos, an assessment specific to that outlet.
Rennes on six points after four matchdays
The draw against the Greeks fits into a mixed collective run. After four matchdays of the league phase, Stade Rennais have six points, with one win and three draws, and sit provisionally 12th in the standings, Wiwsport reports.
Franck Haise, the Rennes coach, was without his striker Estéban Lepaul, still absent from training, Football365 reports.
On to Ligue 1 and the Lions
Two fixtures await Boulaye Dia: Rennes’s next Ligue 1 match, and his return with the Lions of Senegal.