Steaua - Lyon 0-3

"When it’s not bright, it’s efficient. Terribly efficient" reports the special correspondent of French sports publication L'Equipe to Bucharest, where Olympique Lyon defeated host Steaua with no less than three goals scored, none taken before a boiling audience on Tuesday evening.

Lyon managed to score once in the first half of the match counting for the Champions League groups, than followed with two more goals against a weakening Steaua in the second half. That allowed OL coach Gerard Houllier to say that “serious, realistic and loyal to its reputation, the Lyon team won on Steaua turf without any sense of danger....

Spaceless, paceless and almost hopeless, the Romanian team ceded the position of group leader to the French”.

Houllier said his team would have won even without a terrible mistake by Steaua goalkeeper Carlos that allowed the first goal before the end of the first half.

For his part, Steaua coach Cosmin Olaroiu said the score difference was too harsh for his team. “Had we endered the second round at 0-0, it might have been something else. But I don’t think so... In fact, Lyon gave us no chance”, he said.

Steaua failed to get over the shock of losing to local contender Dinamo in a separate match last week. And it had little advantage from playing on its own turf, as it has just returned there after a long period of stadium works.

Champions League Group info

Group E

Club J V E I GM GP Pct.
Lyon 2 2 0 0 5 0 6
Real Madrid 2 1 0 1 5 3 3
Steaua 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
Dynamo Kyiv 2 0 0 2 2 9 0

Tuesday results

Group E
Real Madrid 5 - 1 Dinamo Kiev
Steaua Bucharest 0 - 3 Lyon

Group F
Benfica 0 - 1 Manchester U.
Celtic 1 - 0 FC Copenhaga

Group G
CSKA Moscova 1 - 0 Hamburger SV
Arsenal 2 - 0 FC Porto

Group H
AEK Athena 1 - 1 Anderlecht
Lille 0 - 0 AC Milan

HotNews.ro, Sep 27, 2006