Former Benfica, Celtic man Jota scores first goal for Rennes [video] | OneFootball

Portuguese forward Jota is off the mark with new club Rennes, after scoring a late equaliser to give his side a 1-1 draw at Brest in France on Saturday.

Jota was a late arrival at Rennes towards the end of the transfer window in an €8m deal from Saudi Arabians Al-Ittihad. Although yet to start for the Brittany outfit, this weekend saw the former Benfica man score his first goal in new colours in Ligue 1.

Rennes trailed Brest to Romain del Castillo’s penalty when Jota was thrown on by Julien Stephan on the hour mark. The Portugal U21 international responded by seizing on a cross and diverting the ball into the net using his……lower midriff.

“We know that we didn’t start the game quite well,” Jota said after the match. “We were struggling on finding our rhythm and our tempo. But then in the second half we changed some stuff, and we were able to find our principles and way in the game. So, in the end it was good that we could achieve the goal and I’m happy that I could help the team.

“It’s a really good emotion. My parents were here too, supporting the team, so it was really good to have them in the stands. Now we just need to focus on ourselves and develop for the next matches. My goal? I had made this movement before and I just had the feeling that the ball was going to come so I made the movement and fortunately it was a goal.”

Rennes have struggled to far in the French top flight, albeit having been issued a tough early fixture list. Jota’s side currently occupy 13th place and are without a win in four Ligue 1 matches, while next weekend’s home match against relegation battlers Le Havre would appear to present a decent opportunity for the Lisbon-native to earn his first start.