Gomis goal pegs back Madrid
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Real Madrid was frustrated again by Lyon in the Champions League yesterday but Chelsea put aside its domestic troubles to comfortably win at FC Copenhagen and move closer to the quarterfinals.
Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis canceled out Karim Benzema's goal against his former club to clinch a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the round of 16.
The result preserves Lyon's unbeaten record in the competition against nine-time champion Real Madrid, which has failed to reach the quarterfinals since 2004.
"They have good players, a good coach and experience in Europe, so the second match will be a hard one," Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said through a translator. "I feel like I've taken part in a real Champions League game, a tough, hard-fought match with few chances."
Mourinho, who has already lifted the European Cup with FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan last season, is trying to become the first coach to win it with three different clubs.
Benzema's 65th-minute goal appeared to put him closer to fulfilling that mission. He cut inside the penalty area with his first touch, weaved past three defenders and calmly beat goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
"At one stage we were closer to scoring a second goal than Lyon was to equalizing," Mourinho said.
But Brazilian defender Cris headed on a free kick and Gomis clipped the ball past goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the 83rd to extend Lyon's unbeaten record against Madrid to seven matches.
"The satisfaction is having stood up to them and still being in with a chance for the second leg," Lyon coach Claude Puel said. "We still have the chance to qualify and that's the most important thing. We will need to be more clinical in the second leg. We had chances in the first half where we could have done better."
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