PAUL POGBA made his long-awaited comeback after more than two years away from the pitch – but it proved to be a night to forget.
His Monaco side fell to a one-sided 4-1 defeat to Rennes, leaving them eight points adrift of Ligue 1 leaders Marseille.
Pogba came off the bench for Les Monegasques, marking his first appearance after 811 days.
The World Cup winner was initially handed a four-year ban after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
But Pogba’s suspension was reduced to 18 months following a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
And the Frenchman broke down in tears when he signed a two-year contract with Monaco in June.
Injury problems and fitness concerns resulted in Pogba, 32, not being involved in a single matchday squad before the trip to Rennes on Saturday.
And he came off the bench in the latter stages of the contest, replacing Mamadou Coulibaly.
But Monaco already had a mountain to climb by the time Pogba entered the fray because Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Mahdi Camara, Breel Embolo and Ludovic Blas had given the hosts a four-goal lead.
Mika Biereth grabbed a stoppage time consolation for the visitors, who had to play the majority of the second half with 10 men following former Chelsea man Denis Zakaria’s red card.
The SUN
