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Kylian Mbappe left it late to secure Paris Saint-Germain a 1-0 win over Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 on Friday on a night when the French giants' fans expressed their displeasure with the club's leadership.

The France international, denied once by the post and another time by an offside call in either half, struck the winner late into added time after being teed up by Lionel Messi just as it looked as if it would end goalless in a game where PSG mustered little else.

It was a harsh result on Rennes who had done just about enough to secure the draw, but it will have done little to quell the frustrated fans who made their feelings clear.

Earlier in the week, the French giants' ultras issued a communique which criticized the direction the club is heading in and bemoaned a perceived deterioration of identity and coupled with a campaign of largely below-par showings, they opted to boycott the opening 25 minutes or so.

Aside from captain Marquinhos, PSG's leadership figures were spared no vitriol and sporting director Leonardo was invited to leave the club while multiple overpaid and underperforming stars were also given similar treatment.

"It was tough to open the scoring," said PSG captain Marquinhos after the game. "Rennes defended well, stopped us from unblocking the game and gave us little space -- even if we had the ball. In the end, one player made the difference. It is important to have players who can keep their composure like that to score, but it was also a team effort."

Mauricio Pochettino gave youngster Xavi Simons a chance from the start at Parc des Princes and the Dutch starlet showed glimpses of promise, but aside from the late winner, it was mostly the same turgid fare that Les Parisiens have been producing for most of this season.

Next week's UEFA Champions League clash with Real Madrid -- on CBS and Paramount+ -- has taken on added significance in recent weeks after PSG's Coupe de France exit and the team's continued struggles with little cause of optimism bar an unexpected thrashing of Lille OSC last week.