Lyon denied as Benfica go for the knockout

A double from Fabio Coentrao inspired Benfica to a 4-3 Champions League win over Lyon on Tuesday, relaunching the Portuguese side’s last 16 bid and ending Lyon’s hopes of acquiring the point they needed to make the knockout stage.

Brazilian Alan Kardec opened the scoring for Benfica after 20 minutes, with Portuguese international Coentrao grabbing the first of his two goals just after the half hour.

Javi Garcia lit up the Stadium of Light to give the hosts a 3-0 lead at the interval, and a fourth came from Coentrao on 67 minutes.

Such is Lyon’s precarious predicament at home that some Lyon fans unfurled a banner calling on coach Claude Puel to resign.

But was allowed to take heart from a second-half fightback which saw his side come from 4-0 down to score three times in the final 20 minutes.

Lyon’s opener came courtesy of Yoann Gourcuff on 75 minutes, with Bafetembi Gomis and Maxime Gonalon reducing arrears on 85 and 90+6 minutes respectively.

“We showed a certain naivety in allowing them to go 4-0 up,” admitted Puel, who last week got the thumbs up from owner Jean-Michel Aulas in retaining his post after a sticky opening to the league campaign.

“However, I really liked the way we showed character in keeping our nerve and sticking to our gameplan and coming back as we did. It showed real team spirit.”

His Benfica counterpart Jorge Jesus shrugged aside the late Lyon surge and preferred to focus on the overall result.

“Tactically, we were weaker when we led 4-0 but the most important thing was that we won,” he said.

“That is what you have to remember above everything else. Benfica were very strong this evening. It is imperative that we highlight all the positive aspects and not focus on the one goal difference at the end.”

Kardec, who came into the match in form after scoring in the league on Friday, rose above the Lyon defenders to head home from Carlos Martins’ freekick in the 20th minute.

The visitors — who had the ball in the net early on from Jimmy Briand but it was ruled out for offside — had already been warned as Coentrao had broken free down the left but with just Lloris to beat he fired well over.

Veteran Lyon defender Jerome Reveillere saved his side from going 2-0 down with a timely intervention in the penalty area before turning creator as he motored down the right flank and crossed to Briand, whose spectacular overhead kick went over the bar.

However, a terrible lapse by first Miralem Pjanic and then Dejan Lovren in the 32nd minute allowed the hosts to break with a four to two advantage and Coentrao rifled home Martins’ perfect cross to give the French side a huge task to get back into the match.

Any possibility of Lyon rescuing even the point that they needed to progress to the knockout stage disappeared in the 42nd minute as Garcia stole in unmarked to head past Lloris from a corner.

And Martins and Coentrao combined delightfully in the 67th minute to leave Lyon and coach Puel scratching their heads in astonishment.

However, the hosts took their foot off the pedal and nearly paid for it dearly as the visitors took full advantage of their lacksadaisical attitude.

Gourcuff reduced arrears with a first-time shot from just inside the area, and then Gomis tapped home at the far post. Gonalon scored Lyon’s third in the last minute of time added on.