Real Madrid cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday for the first time since 2004, thanks to a 3-0 home thrashing of defensively feeble Lyon.
Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria scored the goals that ended Real's six-year round of 16 frustrations.
It was Real's first defeat of Lyon in eight clashes in recent years and puts them into the quarters on a 4-1 aggregate because the whites battled out a 1-1 draw in the Stade de Gerland three weeks ago.
Jose Mourinho's team didn't play particularly well but they ruthlessly took advantage of a slow and hesitant Lyon defence.
A delighted Marcelo said: "We are very happy because this is an important victory. We did exactly what the boss (Mourinho) asked us to do. to take the game to them right from the start.
"We had a debt with the fans because of what has happened in recent seasons. Thanks to God, we are now in the quarter-finals and can have a little tranquility."
When asked about his preference for Friday's quarter-final draw, Marcolo answered: "We are not thinking about the rivals now, we really don't mind who it is."
Lyon striker Lisandro Lopez, for his part, said: "They were better than us tonight, that is all there is to it. We made a lot of mistakes, and you cannot really do that at this level."
Real striker Cristiano Ronaldo passed a late fitness test but, after two weeks out with a pulled hamstring, looked short of rhythm.
Roared on by a capacity crowd, Ronaldo and company made an aggressive start and Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris was forced to save at the near post from Mesut Oezil.
Lyon gradually came out of their shell but their only clear chance came in the 21st minute, when a clever low drive from Cesar Delgado was well saved by Iker Casillas.
Marcelo broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a classy goal. The Brazilian left-back played a one-two with Ronaldo, skipped past Dejan Lovren in order to work the ball onto his left foot, and made it 1-0 with a drive which Lloris should really have done better with.
Benzema thought he had made it 2-0 just before half-time, only to be correctly ruled offside.
However, the former Lyon idol would not be denied for long. In the 66th minute the visiting defence failed to cut out a high long ball and Benzema made it 2-0 with a calm low finish - his sixth goal in the Champions this season.
Nine minutes later, the shaky Lyon defence again failed to clear a speculative ball, and Oezil headed on for Di Maria to complete the rout with his trusty left foot.
Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria scored the goals that ended Real's six-year round of 16 frustrations.
It was Real's first defeat of Lyon in eight clashes in recent years and puts them into the quarters on a 4-1 aggregate because the whites battled out a 1-1 draw in the Stade de Gerland three weeks ago.
Jose Mourinho's team didn't play particularly well but they ruthlessly took advantage of a slow and hesitant Lyon defence.
A delighted Marcelo said: "We are very happy because this is an important victory. We did exactly what the boss (Mourinho) asked us to do. to take the game to them right from the start.
"We had a debt with the fans because of what has happened in recent seasons. Thanks to God, we are now in the quarter-finals and can have a little tranquility."
When asked about his preference for Friday's quarter-final draw, Marcolo answered: "We are not thinking about the rivals now, we really don't mind who it is."
Lyon striker Lisandro Lopez, for his part, said: "They were better than us tonight, that is all there is to it. We made a lot of mistakes, and you cannot really do that at this level."
Real striker Cristiano Ronaldo passed a late fitness test but, after two weeks out with a pulled hamstring, looked short of rhythm.
Roared on by a capacity crowd, Ronaldo and company made an aggressive start and Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris was forced to save at the near post from Mesut Oezil.
Lyon gradually came out of their shell but their only clear chance came in the 21st minute, when a clever low drive from Cesar Delgado was well saved by Iker Casillas.
Marcelo broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a classy goal. The Brazilian left-back played a one-two with Ronaldo, skipped past Dejan Lovren in order to work the ball onto his left foot, and made it 1-0 with a drive which Lloris should really have done better with.
Benzema thought he had made it 2-0 just before half-time, only to be correctly ruled offside.
However, the former Lyon idol would not be denied for long. In the 66th minute the visiting defence failed to cut out a high long ball and Benzema made it 2-0 with a calm low finish - his sixth goal in the Champions this season.
Nine minutes later, the shaky Lyon defence again failed to clear a speculative ball, and Oezil headed on for Di Maria to complete the rout with his trusty left foot.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire