Excitement was at a premium tonight as the Champions League knockout round rolled on with two tepid affairs. Chelsea dominated a disjointed Copenhagen side 2-0 while Lyon preserved their home unbeaten streak against Real Madrid, 1-1, thanks to a late goal from Bafetimbi Gomis.
Tomorrow, Marseille face Manchester United while Inter Milan host Bayern Munich in the blockbuster of the day as the first leg of the round of 16 wraps up.
Lyon was rescued tonight by Gomis’ 83rd goal in a game the French likely should have lost. Until Gomis stayed onside to a free kick from the left and reacted ahead of Carvalho to score, the Euro-savvy Madrid manager Jose Mourinho seemed to have created the perfect game plan to end Real Madrid's run of poor results at this stage of the competition. That let-off was an uncharacteristic breakdown after what had been a savvy, defense-first Madrid approach in France.
Eschewing anything that looked remotely adventurous, Real instead played a stolid, controlled first half, hardly testing the Lyon defense while allowing the home team to run up and the down the flanks to little effect. Iker Casillas had one hiccup when he bobbled a cross in the 34th minute, but the home raids foundered against a sea of white jerseys that effectively clogged both midfield and central defense.
Having proved that they could blunt whatever Lyon contrived in the opening half, Real upped its attacking tempo in the second half and stole the lead in the 65th minute through a nicely-worked move.
Karim Benzema, who had just been sent on for an ineffective Emmanuel Adebayor, was the scorer, but Mesut Ozil was the playmaker and Cristiano Ronaldo had the artist's touch that made the goal. Ozil won possession wide on the left, stepped around one defender, then between two others on his run toward the box. Before another tackler could come in, the German slipped the ball to Ronaldo, whose immediate one-touch flick found Benzema coming across the box from the left.
If that pass was a testimony to Ronaldo's second-sight, Benzema's finish was equally well-conceived. He collected, took two strides to his right, then turned quickly and shot through the legs of Hugo Lloris.
That looked like being game, set and match as the Madrid defense stifled everything a winded, and apparently idea-less, Lyon seemed able to create. With six minutes left, a free ball on the right was lobbed into the box - one of those hopeful, rather than precise deliveries and it proved better than anything else the hosts had done on the night.
Heads went up, Cris managed to direct the ball forward and Gomis first stayed behind the last defender, then beat Carvalho to the dropping ball and volleyed past Casillas for an equalizer that keeps the tie very much alive.
Sometimes when we call a performance "professional" we really mean "boring." Guess what? A professional Chelsea took control of the game in Denmark early on and never looked back. While Blues fans will surely breathe a sigh of relief after a week that saw their Premiership title dreams dashed and their elimination from the FA Cup, the rest of us were left wanting for a little more spark.
A disjointed Copenhagen never were able to enforce any sort of effort or pressure in Chelsea’s half of the field, with Cesar Santin and Christian Bolanos having particularly poor outings in midfield. Chelsea displayed some of the cut and verve that characterized their early season, albeit sometimes at a canter.
Chelsea got on the board after only 17 minutes thanks to a gift from former Stamford Bridge man Jesper Grokjaer, an ill-timed, ill-thought back pass that fell to Nicolas Anelka in full stride. With Fernando Torres and Florent Malouda stripping the Copenhagen defenders away, Anelka drove to the right and fired cleanly from twenty yards. It was not the best effort, but 'keeper Johan Wiland misplayed it, and the Londoners had a deserved lead.
After the break, and a long spell of futility on the part of the home team, Chelsea decided they’d rather like another, leading Michael Essien to charge right down the gut unimpeded. His pass to Frank Lampard was flipped out wide to a lurking Anelka. The Frenchman finished clinically, across Wiland’s body to the far post. Game over.
Copenhagen of course entered the game having been idle for ages due to the Danish winter break, but that hardly excuses a performance that saw sloppy passing, little creativity and created absolutely no trouble for Chelsea 'keeper Petr Cech. So good at home in the group stage, tiny Copenhagen said they had single-mindedly prepared for this game, but on the evidence, preparation is no substitute for actual match play.
Chelsea now have a two goal lead - and two away goals, if they need them - for their London home tie in three weeks time.
Jamie Trecker is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the UEFA Champions League and the Barclay's Premier League.
