Jose Mourinho’s Galacticos entered the Stade de Gerland in Lyon looking to take the first result in club history from the ground. Prior to this game Real had lost four out of four trips to Lyon, including a 1-0 result at this stage of the competition last season.
Entering the game, a contingent of the Spanish media was critical of Jose’s decision to start former Liverpool man Alvaro Arbeloa at left back instead of Marcelo. The Brazilian Marcelo certainly poses a much greater threat than Arbeloa going forward, especially considering that Arbeloa is naturally right-footed. To me, picking Marcelo over Arbeloa would have been a sign of over-confidence, therefore I agree with Mourinho’s decision to select a more defensive fullback. The Special One clearly recognized the fact that Lyon would pose a challenge even without star striker Lisandro Lopez (injured), especially considering his club’s record at the Stade de Gerland.
Lyon certainly could have used Lopez in this one. While the side looked up for the game and showed excellent resilience to equalize after Real went ahead, Lopez’s replacement Bafetimbi Gomis was off the mark on two good chances in the first half. The most notable miss from Gomis involved a rare miscue from Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Casillas squandered a save from a ball into the box, and Gomis sent the ball miles over the crossbar from inside the area after it fell right to his feet. It was undoubtedly a difficult shot, but it was one I would have expected a Champions League striker to finish.
To Gomis’s credit he did not let the missed chances affect his work rate. The big center forward continued to hustle after any and every ball played forward, often without much support from his teammates. Finally, he was able to find the net from a Cris header on a set piece to earn Lyon’s late equalizer. Gomis deserved his goal for the effort that he put into the game from start to finish.
As much as Gomis’s goal was deserved for his hard work, Karim Benzema’s opener less than a minute from his introduction to the match will be the story of the night. Benzema was given a rousing round of applause from the fans of his former club, where he played a key role in four consecutive league-winning seasons. With his first involvement in the game, Benzema received an excellent first-touch pass from Cristiano Ronaldo and took the ball past two defenders before shooting with just enough power and luck to sneak through Hugo Lloris’s legs and past Cris into the net.
Benzema did not celebrate out of respect for his former team, however he will certainly be very proud of his return to Lyon. Consequentially, the goal was the first ever for Real Madrid at the Stade de Gerland. It is only fitting that a former icon of the home club scored the first Real Madrid goal in Lyon.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a fine game for Real Madrid, and he was unlucky not to score from a free kick in the second half. Ronaldo’s effort was only inches off the mark and rocketed back off the far post. Ronaldo had another free kick from a very similar location not long after the first. In this instance, Yoann Gourcuff who was on the wall blocked his delivery. Ronaldo immediately appealed for a handball—and replays showed that he might have had a point—but the decision was not given. Ronaldo’s contribution was not limited to the free kicks and his assist however. He looked dangerous throughout the game, and his entire array of flicks and tricks was on display including step-overs, back-heels, and even a rabona.
Lyon will face an unsavory task entering the Bernebeu at 1-1 having conceded an away goal. To make matters worse, Michel Bastos was booked in this game thus ruling him out of the second leg in Madrid. The young Brazilian winger was one of Lyon’s most creative players in the first half, linking up very well with Aly Cissokho, and I was disappointed to see him substituted off in the 70th minute.
All in all, Lyon will consider themselves fortunate to have earned the home draw against Real Madrid tonight. However, I simply cannot foresee the French club advancing past this round of the competition at this point. It will be a massive task to overcome Jose Mourinho’s men at their ground, especially when considering that Mourinho is unbeaten at home in nine years spanning back to his Porto days.
Real Madrid will feel unlucky not to have won for the first time in Lyon, but the away goal that they scored could prove to be very beneficial. I expect to see a more attack-minded Madrid squad in the return leg, and I would not be surprised to see Real win by a two-goal margin at home to advance to the quarter-finals.
It's late and I haven't yet had time to watch Copenhagen vs. Chelsea (although I am aware of the result), so tomorrow will be a long day of watching football and updating the blog. Thanks for reading, stay tuned, and feel free to leave comments.
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