Reinildo Shines as Sunderland Defeats Rennes in Pre-Season

Reinildo walked off with Man of the Match and, more importantly, with a statement. Dayann Methalie is on his way, competition at left-back is about to ramp up, and the current occupant of the shirt responded by locking down his flank and almost scoring at the other end. This felt like a pre-season friendly in name only for him.

Sunderland Player Ratings Against Rennes

• Robin Roefs – 6/10 Beaten from the spot by a quality penalty and rarely extended beyond routine work. Rennes tested his handling with a couple of soft efforts, nothing more. His one real scare came very early, when a wide-open chance should at least have worked him. With the ball at his feet, though, he impressed, spinning away from the press in the opening stages and setting the tone for Sunderland’s build-up.
• Trai Hume – 7/10 Back to a more orthodox right-back brief and it showed. He held his position, defended his channel well and sacrificed a bit of the team’s early control to give that solidity. Then he did what he’s started to make a habit of: arrived in the box at the right time. From a set piece, Hume stayed alive to the second phase and calmly passed in from eight yards.
• Dan Ballard – 6/10 In the thick of it from the first whistle. He carried a real threat at attacking set pieces, getting on the end of several deliveries and forcing Rennes to crowd him in the box. Out of possession he was largely assured, but two moments dragged his mark down. First, he surged out of defence, lost the ball and watched a lob drift wide when it could easily have punished him. Later he mistimed things again and conceded a sloppy penalty.
• Luke O’Nien – 7/10 Rarely flustered. Rennes offered little to truly stretch him, though he had to react sharply to a dangerous cross, heading over his own bar from close range. On the ball he was far more expressive, pinging some excellent passes out of defence. His best contribution came with a superb cross that begged to be finished; Reinildo could only guide it wide.
• Reinildo – 8/10 (Man of the Match) This was a complete left-back performance. Defensively, he shut down his side, snapping into recovery tackles whenever Rennes tried to spring down his channel. They got no joy there. The real twist came with how often he surged forward. He overlapped Chemsdine Talbi to good effect, saw one promising effort deflected wide, then ghosted into the box to meet O’Nien’s delivery and miss by inches. Later he forced an outstanding save from Brice Samba after attacking a Chris Rigg cross. On another day he walks away with a goal or two to go with his defensive dominance. With Methalie incoming, he answered the question before it was asked: he will not give that shirt up easily.
• Granit Xhaka (C) – 7/10 The metronome in the middle. He kept Sunderland’s tempo steady, recycling possession and dictating where the game was played. Twice he almost carved Rennes open with defence-splitting passes, each one just a fraction away from sending a runner clean through. It was controlled, authoritative midfield work from the captain.
• Noah Sadiki – 7/10 Everywhere. He plugged gaps at the back, tracked runners, then sprang up the left side whenever there was grass to attack. It was the kind of industrious, selfless shift that has become his trademark: covering ground, closing lanes, and giving Sunderland an extra runner in transition.
• Chemsdine Talbi – 6/10 Lively in patches down the left. He drove at his full-back and consistently looked to deliver early crosses rather than cut inside and shoot himself. Those bursts gave Sunderland width, even if the final ball didn’t always match the intent.
• Enzo Le Fée – 7/10 Constantly on the move, constantly available. He drifted into pockets all over the pitch, presenting an easy option for whichever team-mate had the ball. When he carried it himself, his runs had a touch of class and unsettled Rennes, dragging defenders out of position and opening space for others.
• Nilson Angulo – 6/10 A mixed afternoon on the right. The good: sharp, inventive moments in one-v-one situations and strong work without the ball, pressing and tracking back. The frustration: too many offsides, especially when well placed after smart diagonal balls picked him out. The timing will need to sharpen as the season nears.
• Brian Brobbey – 7/10 Rennes never got comfortable with him. He bullied defenders, backed in, ran the channels and generally made himself a menace. His goal summed up his approach: he burst in behind, saw his first effort saved, then simply outmuscled the defender and slid the rebound home. Persistence and power, rewarded.

Substitutes

• Romaine Mundle – 7/10 A different player once he came on. The talk around a new contract seems to have lifted him; he played with freedom and real aggression on the ball. Every time he picked it up he drove at his man. His standout moment came from a dead ball, thundering a free-kick off the crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten.
• Chris Rigg – 7/10 Pre-season continues to suit him. He looked stronger, sharper, and he influenced the game almost immediately. His delivery from wide areas was excellent, none better than the cross that picked out Reinildo and so nearly brought an assist.
• Habib Diarra – 6/10 Slotted in alongside Xhaka and mirrored much of Sadiki’s earlier work. He filled spaces, supported the press and kept things tidy, offering balance in midfield rather than fireworks.
• Wilson Isidor – 6/10 Lived on the shoulder of the last defender. His movement stretched Rennes, creating lanes for runners from deep even when he didn’t receive the final pass himself. A selfless cameo built on constant runs and clever positioning.
• Jocelin Ta Bi – 6/10 Showed quick feet on the right, gliding past challenges with the ball seemingly glued to his boots. It was a short outing but one that hinted at a useful option in tight areas.

Sunderland will soon add Methalie to this mix and the competition will spike across the back line. On this evidence, no one in that dressing room is planning to step aside quietly.