Real Madrid continued their impressive form in the Champions League with a comfortable victory at home against Lyon. Former Lyon striker Karim Benzema again found the net against his old team and second-half strikes from Sami Khedira, Sergio Ramos and a Hugo Lloris own goal sent the home fans away happy. Lyon were left licking the wounds of a record Champions League defeat.
Despite hinting that he would start both Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín together, Jose Mourinho went with Benzema and it took the French international just 19 minutes to justify his selection, stealing in at the far post ahead of Ramos to touch in Cristiano Ronaldo’s flick-on from a Mesut Özil corner.
The Merengues ended any hope that Lyon had of getting back into the match two minutes into the second half when Bakary Koné inadvertently directed Marcelo’s deep pass into the path of Benzema and the striker unselfishly rolled a pass into the path of the advancing Khedira, who stroked his shot past Lloris.
Although Lyon had a let-off when Benzema headed over from close range almost immediately, their hopes were ended by a third goal on 55 minutes. Lloris inadvertently turned Özil’s attempted centre from the left into his own net.
Lyon, who has kept clean sheets in their first two Champions League games, were undone again nine minutes from time. Ramos controlled Kaká’s corner at the second time of asking and fired into the far corner of the net with his left foot.
The result gives Madrid a five-point cushion in the section ahead of the teams’ second meeting in France on 2 November, when an away win would book a round of 16 berth.