FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa League - Group F - Maccabi Haifa v Stade Rennes - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - November 30, 2023 Stade Rennes coach Julien Stephan REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo/File Photo
(Reuters) - Rennes manager Julien Stephan said he had ridden an "emotional elevator" after his side had a dramatic late equaliser chalked off in Thursday's Europa League match against Villarreal due to one of football's little-known rules.
Enzo le Fee's free kick in the 11th minute of stoppage time stuck the woodwork and rebounded back to the midfielder, who put the ball back into the box before Lorenz Assignon slammed into the net.
Rennes players celebrated wildly but their joy turned to despair after a VAR check ruled the goal out, with most in the French stadium believing it was for offside.
However, under the laws of the game, Le Fee was not allowed to be the first player to touch the ball after he took the free kick.
"If the player taking the kick-off touches the ball again before it has touched another player, an indirect free kick ... is awarded," the law states.
"I knew the rule existed for penalties, I didn't know it existed for free kicks," Stephan said.
The win saw Villarreal leapfrog Rennes to the top of Group F and directly qualify for the round of 16. Rennes finished second and must now go through a playoff against a team dropping down from the Champions League to qualify.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
