Champions League - Olympique Lyon 1 Real Madrid 0:JEAN MAKOUN'S brilliant second-half strike gave Lyon a deserved lead to take into the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid last night.
Following a scoreless first half that saw Lyon make most of the running and also hit the woodwork, Makoun struck what would prove to be the only goal of the game two minutes after the break with a stunning 25-yard effort.
That goal consigned Madrid to their third successive defeat at the Stade Gerland, and the Spanish giants – whose Bernabeu Stadium is the venue for this year’s final – have work to do if they are avoid being dumped out at the last-16 stage for the sixth successive campaign.
An impressive Lyon side enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half and were not slow to try their luck when the opportunity presented itself.
However, all of the early efforts lacked accuracy with Sidney Govou firing into the side-netting and then over with two ambitious volleys, while Jean Alain Boumsong headed over and Lisandro Lopez pulled another shot wide.
The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock before the interval came in the 40th minute when Lyon winger Cesar Delgado hit the woodwork.
The French outfit may have considered themselves unfortunate not to have been ahead at the break, but it took them less than two minutes of the second period to take the lead.
There appeared little danger when Makoun picked the ball up not too far from the centre-circle, but he was allowed to progress to within 25 yards of Casillas’ goal, where he sliced an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the net.
Lisandro headed a free-kick over when perhaps he should have done better, but he got an immediate chance to make amends when, from the resulting goal-kick, Casillas’ fluffed clearance went straight to him 30 yards out, but Madrid centre-backs Raul Albiol and Ezequiel Garay managed to get back and the former Porto man ended up firing wide.
Ronaldo briefly gave his defence some respite with a deflected 25-yard effort that Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris palmed away, but moments later a rapid breakaway almost brought the home side a second goal from Aly Cissokho but Casillas denied the young left-back.
Madrid were rocking, but then from nowhere they created a great chance to equalise. A superb long ball forward from Sergio Ramos put Higuain in the clear, but the Argentinian’s attempted clip over Lloris was stopped one-handed by the home keeper.
OLYMPIQUE LYON:Lloris, Reveillere, Cris, Boumsong, Cissokho, Toulalan, Govou, Makoun, Pjanic (Kallstrom 78), Delgado (Michel Bastos 89), Lopez (Gomis 81). Subs not used:Vercoutre, Ederson, Gassama, Gonalons. Booked: Govou.
REAL MADRID:Casillas, Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo (Garay 46), Mahamadou Diarra, Alonso, Granero, Kaka, Higuain (Benzema 64), Ronaldo. Subs not used:Adan, Gago, Raul, Lassana Diarra, Drenthe. Booked: Arbeloa, Alonso.
Referee:Martin Atkinson (England).
