Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said it was a "hard-fought" win for his side against Rennes as he termed the opposition an "underrated team".
Chelsea secured a 2-1 win over Rennes in the Champions League here on Tuesday.
"We want to try and top the group, but it was a really tough match for us. Rennes are an underrated team. We played well for big spells and it was a tough, hard-fought win for us," the club's official website quoted Lampard as saying.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the opening goal of the match, putting Chelsea ahead in the 22nd minute. In the 85th minute, Rennes managed to level the scores with the help of Serhou Guirassy's strike. However, Olivier Giroud netted a goal in the 90+1st minute as Chelsea claimed the win.
Lampard hailed his team's desire to score a winner and said it showed the strength of the group.
"We played really well in the first half-hour. The attitude of the players during tough times, a lot of defending against a big, physical team, and then the reaction after their goal. Our desire to try and score a winner, when we knew a draw wasn't the worst result, made really happy," he said.
"It shows the strength of the group. It has to continue. The players that came on and made an impact and helped us win the game. That also strengthens the group as a whole," Lampard added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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