Season 2011/2012

After a very encouraging recruitment drive (notably with the arrivals of Pitropia, Costil and Féret), Stade Rennais FC started their European adventure with a goalfest against Rustavi and Red Star Belgrade. In the group stage of the competition, the club was drawn in a very high quality group with Atlético Madrid (who went on to win the trophy), Celtic and Udinese. It proved to be a bridge too far for Rennes, but their home performances against the first two were particularly memorable. In the League, Rennes shone away from home with crushing victories (5-1 at Dijon and 6-2 at Sochaux) and more prestigious ones (1-0 at Marseille and 2-1 at Lyon), but Rennes poor return at home, and their difficulty in beating direct rivals for the European spots, saw them vary between 3rd and 8th all season. There was great hope in the French Cup, but that was shattered by a shock 1-2 defeat in the Semi-Final against amateur side Quevilly. The supporter uprising, in addition to the fragile situation of Antonetti and Le Lay meant that the end of season was rather complicated. In the end, Rennes missed out on a Europa League spot on the last day of the Ligue 1 season, this despite a 5-0 win over Dijon. That prize went to Bordeaux, who were also victors in their last match. It was the end of the M’Vila-era.