On a historical evening, Lyon met Bordeaux at the Stade Gerland.
It was Lyon who won the match but an even bigger winner was the French Ligue showcasing the talent of Yoann Gourcuff, Hugo Lloris, Cedric Carrasco, Marouane Chamakh, Lisandro Lopez, Jaroslav Plaisil, Jeremy Toulalan, Jean Makoun, Aly Cissokho, Mathieu Bodmer, Benoit Tremoulinas, Miralem Pjanic, Cesar Delgado, and Michel Bastos. It was an absorbing encounter.
In the 10th minute Michael Ciani failed to deal adequately with Aly Cissokho’s long ball allowing Bodmer to center in a cross. Lisandro Lopez flicked it in a flash to put Lyon ahead. Minutes later Bordeaux equalized as Yoann Gourcuff showing some nifty moves stranded Jeremy Toulalan and crossed the ball into the Lyon box where Marouane Chamakh was able to nod past Lloris.
Bordeaux’s poor defending was once again at fault when Benoit Tremoulinas failed to clear Miralem Pjanic’s cross and it fell to Michel Bastos who made no mistake.
However it was Hugo Lloris who should be considered Lyon’s hero as he kept the more powerful and creative Bordeaux attack at bay with Chamakh coming close on a number of occasions only to be denied by some superlative saves by the Lyon goalkeeper.
Lyon added an insurance goal when Matthie Chalme blocked Cissokho’s cross with his arm and a penalty was awarded. Lisandro Lopez stepped up coolly and sent the Carrasco the wrong way for his brace.
Bordeaux head back to Stade Chaban- Delmas to await Lyon in the second leg. They were the more creative team enjoying an advantage in possession but an opportunistic Lyon attack and Hugo Lloris in goal pulled off a historical win for Claude Puel’s team. Still, all is not lost for Laurent Blanc – Bordeaux’s attack is perfectly capable of scoring a number of goals. But he cannot afford any more defensive lapses. On a more encouraging note for Les Girondins, the return leg will be minus Lisandro Lopez and Sydney Govou both out with suspensions.