Olympique Lyonnais broke their duck in Group E of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 victory at Vfb Stuttgart.
Stuttgart downed by goals from Fabio Santos and Benzema
Olympique Lyonnais got their first win in Group E of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 victory at Vfb Stuttgart.
The French champions were the far more adventurous side at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion and gained reward for their positive approach in the second half with goals from Barbosa Fabio Santos and Karim Benzema.
Both teams came into the game having lost to Barcelona and Rangers during their opening two Group E fixtures and appeared to lack confidence during a tense opening half-hour that featured little goalmouth action.
Wasteful
But it was Lyon's crisp passing game that eventually began to flourish and they would have been in front but for some profligate finishing.
Lyon's strikers twice wasted one-on-one opportunities against Stuttgart goalkeeper Raphael Schafer in the final five minutes of first half.
Benzema poked horribly wide after appearing surprised to find himself clean through, and shortly afterwards Sidney Govou's shot was smothered by the onrushing Shafer.
The opening goal arrived 10 minutes into the second half when Stuttgart were punished for their failure to clear a corner.
The ball fell to Fabio Santos on the edge of the box, and his left-footed drive took a crucial deflection off Silvio Meissner on its way into the net.
Benzema sealed the result with Lyon's second goal 11 minutes from time after Kader Keita's cross was backheeled into his path by Govou.
The French international shrugged off a weak challenge and fired home to ensure Lyon claimed a victory that re-ignites their Champions League campaign.
| VfB Stuttgart |
Team Statistics |
Lyon |
|
| 0 |
Goals |
2 |
|
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
|
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
7 |
|
| 5 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
|
| 4 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
|
| 7 |
Corners |
7 |
|
| 14 |
Fouls |
12 |
|
| 7 |
Offsides |
5 |
|
| 3 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
|
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
|
| 83.8 |
Passing Success |
80.8 |
|
| 33 |
Tackles |
32 |
|
| 72.7 |
Tackles Success |
90.6 |
|
| 58.1 |
Possession |
41.9 |
|
| 55 |
Territorial Advantage |
45 |
|
|
