Sunderland beat Stade Rennais 2-1 in the Club Friendly Games, with the contest decided by greater efficiency in the underlying chances rather than territorial control. Both teams finished with 50.0% possession, but Sunderland produced 1.64 expected goals to Rennes’ 0.80, giving the home side a clear edge in chance quality despite an even share of the ball. Sunderland’s 4-2-3-1 provided the framework for that advantage, while Rennes operated in a 4-1-4-1 and remained within reach on the scoreboard without matching the hosts’ xG return. The goalkeeping data also aligned with the final margin: Sunderland’s goalkeeper conceded once from 1.00 post-shot expected goals against, while Rennes’ goalkeeper conceded twice from 2.00 PSxG. Neither goalkeeper registered goals saved above expected, so the result broadly reflected the quality of efforts faced. No individual scorers were supplied, and no shot totals were recorded in the data. Sunderland take a useful pre-season result into their next fixture.