Nantes Egyptian forward #31 Mostafa Mohamed. AFP
Adrien Truffert opened the scoring for the hosts in the 23rd minute, but Mostafa Mohamed leveled the score nearly ten minutes into the second half. Mohamed Meite sealed the victory for Rennes four minutes before the final whistle.
Rennes missed an early chance to take the lead in the 13th minute when Arnaud Kalimuendo sent his penalty kick wide of the post.
The hosts eventually broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute through captain Adrien Truffert, who fired an angled strike past the Nantes goalkeeper to give Rennes a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Mohamed proved decisive in the 54th minute, rising to meet Louis Leroux’s cross and slotting a right-footed finish into the bottom-left corner to equalize.
However, Nantes' task became harder just three minutes later when defender Marcus Coco received a red card for a reckless challenge, reducing the visitors to ten men.
Mohamed was substituted in the 71st minute, and Rennes capitalized on their numerical advantage as Mohamed Meite headed home a cross in the 86th minute to secure the win.
The goal was Mostafa Mohamed's fifth in 26 Ligue 1 appearances this season and his sixth overall in 28 matches across all competitions for Nantes, in addition to one assist.
It also ended a goal drought for the 27-year-old Egyptian, whose last strike was a dramatic winner against Lille on 15 March.
The defeat leaves Nantes in 13th place in the Ligue 1 table with 30 points, while Rennes climb to 10th with 38 points.
Nantes face a challenging home game against league champions Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in a postponed match from the 29th matchday.
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