Lyon 1-0 Real Madrid: No Miracle For Cristiano Ronaldo And Los Blancos

[/caption]On Tuesday night in Lyon, Cristiano Ronaldo performed well but not enough to break Real Madrid’s embarrassing record at the Stade de Gerland in the UEFA Champions League.

The score line wasn’t 3-0 or 2-0 against the Spanish giants like it happened in previous years over the last decade, but it was still a defeat…

Real Madrid rather lost 1-0 to Lyon at the Stade de Gerland this time.

Lyon vs Real Madrid – post match analysis

Without argument, Lyon was by far the better side in the first period of the match. The French side started strongly and their pace certainly troubled Real Madrid who looked distracted by the freezing weather conditions.

Sydney Govou tried his luck twice inside the first 12 minutes but his shots didn’t really trouble Iker Casillas.

As Lyon were always pressing forward, Real Madrid had no option but to defend – and they did that quite unconvincingly. The offside trap wasn’t well constructed but Los Blancos could find relief in the fact that Lyon weren’t so effective in front of goal anyway.

Lisandro Lopez had an eventful night full of runs but his finishes were not quite accurate enough. The Argentine striker could have multiplied Lyon’s margin of victory to put the tie beyond Real Madrid’s reach.

Another Argentine on the night who couldn’t create any positive impact was Gonzalo Higuain. Pipita, as he is called, had a marvelous opportunity to punish the home side on the counterattack in the second half.

But he could only direct the ball straight into Lyon’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris who produced an effortless save.

UEFA Champions League - Lyon 1-0 Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball.

From Reuters Images

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, was certainly Real Madrid’s best player on the night. Los Blancos were always second best behind Lyon throughout the match but the Portuguese winger produced an admirable performance that should have been worthy of a goal.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo was confronted by a man who was equally great on the night – Lyon’s keeper Hugo Lloris.

After match-winner Makoun had put Lyon in front in the early stages of the second half, the pressure on Real Madrid to get back into the game was greater.

At the hour mark, Ronaldo made an excellent shot from distance but his volley was punched away by the impressive Lloris.

In the end, the match offered relief to hosts Lyon whereas Real Madrid will enter the second leg of this UEFA Champions League fixture with the mind of turning the tables around.

Watch the video highlights of “Lyon 1-0 Real Madrid” in Football Fan Talk’s video gallery. Click here to watch the video instantly!

Watch photos here: [nggallery id=16]

Angela Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Leave us a reply