Tuesday Review

Chelsea 2-0 Copenhagen

Chelsea went to Denmark and left with a stranglehold on their tie, while Real Madrid got the away goal they needed and dominated in their matchup with Lyon.

The Blues' domestic struggles have not effected their European form. They stayed true to that concept yesterday with a relatively routine 2-0 win over FC Copenhagen.

Chelsea controlled the match throughout, getting the crucial first goal early in the match before a second half goal gave them a fantastic result.

One may have expected them to come out shakily against FC Copenhagen in a wild atmosphere. That wasn't the case.

Nicolas Anelka netted a brace on the day. He scored his first in the 17th when Jesper Gronkjaer gave the ball away just past midfield, and the Frenchman pounced on the ball and made a beeline for goal before finishing well to the far post.

The Danes tried to fight back into the match. But Chelsea were firmly in control and continued to look the more dangerous side, as Torres fell short on a nice chance soon after and a curling effort from Anelka sailed over the bar.

The Lions hoped to spur a second half comeback. And they did manage a half-chance just 20 seconds in when Martin Vingard's shot from 20-yards fell into the arms of Cech.

Anelka doubled the lead in the 54th. A fine ball from Lampard played Anelka in behind, and he rifled his right footed shot past Johan Willand.

The Blues continued their domination. Torres did well to create an opportunity in the 59th, putting a nice move on to create space before seeing his low shot saved brilliantly by Willand.

Copenhagen leading scorer Dame N'Doye was quiet on the evening. Only managing a long strike that swerved wide of the right post in the 76th.

Opinion

These sorts of matches are rarely easy for the away side. Yesterday, I discussed how pesky and committed sides have troubled the Blues this season. But that was not the case on yesterday. Chelsea were the far superior side not just from an ability standpoint (which we knew coming into the match), but also in terms of discipline and composure.

The first goal changed everything. It took the air out the crowd and their opponents, as the Lions had to know they were facing a major uphill battle after falling behind at home. They pressed Chelsea at times, and even had the bulk of the possession. There was some nice interchange and combination play in the midfield (particularly of the one touch variety) from the hosts, but they never looked truly dangerous as Chelsea gave them no breathing room in their final third.

The visitors simply dominated, looking comfortable on defense and dangerous on offense.

The only negative is the Fernando Torres situation, which continued to yield negative returns, as the Spaniard had an astounding seven shots but no goals.

Despite the struggles of their 50M man, the Blues kept rolling. Anelka's second goal came from a brilliant spinning through pass from Lampard. "Lamps" wo was pulling the strings all evening and may have even scored himself if not for a few poor efforts from distance.

All I can do is applaud Ancelotti's boys for a job well done. They were clinical (minus Torres), composed, and creative, and now head back to London with a ticket to the quarterfinals all but secured.

Lyon 1-1 Real Madrid

Los Galacticos survived a dicey first half, and then responded with a fine performance in the second 45 that probably left them dissappointed with just a draw.

The Ligue 1 side had the best of the play in the first half. But they failed to create many chances. Their best opportunity fell to Bafetimbi Gomis. The normally sure-handed Iker Casillas fumbled a nice cross from Michel Bastos, and it fell to Gomis close to the penalty spot. But his left footed strike lacked accuracy and sailed well over the bar.

Real came out a different side in the second half. This time looking the more dangerous going forward.

They hit the post twice in the 48th and 49th minutes. First Ronaldo's gorgeous curling free kick from the left side beat Lloris but bounced off the post. Then Sergio Ramos' looping header beat the keeper again but slammed off the cross bar.

Real kept pressing. And they probably should have had a penalty in the 62nd when Ronaldo's free kick slammed off the raised arm of a Lyon defender in the box.

It seemed only a matter of time until Real broke through. They did so in minute 65. A clever bit of skill from Ozil helped find Ronaldo at the top of the box, and he played a perfect one-touch to Benzema streaking into the area. The former Lyon man evaded two defenders, before slotting his side-footed strike between the legs of Lloris for the goal.

More desperate than before, Lyon pressed forward in search of the equalizer. Their efforts were rewarded when they netted the tying goal with seven minutes left.

Miralem Pjanic's free kick from 40-yards hit the one-man wall of Ronaldo, and took an unexpected deflection into the box. Cris picked up the altered aerial route of the ball quickly, and flicked on for Gomis, who volleyed into the left corner from close range.

Opinion

This tie is headed for a similar scenario as last season, with Real entering their home matchup after securing a decent enough result in France. But Les Gones shocked everyone last year, going through thanks to late goal from Pjanic in Madrid.

Lyon should be criticized for their lack of attacking impetus in the first half. They defended quite well, while Real looked more interested in holding them scoreless than netting one of their own. Bastos and Cissokho were dominating up the left side, and they were holding the ball in the Madrid half for long periods of time.

But despite having the visitors on the back foot, the French side took very few chances going forward. If you look at what happened in the second half, it's clear that Lyon missed a major opportunity to force Real's hand. Why were they not throwing more bodies forward to get the first goal? Surely they must wish they had done so now.

The second half belonged to the favorites.

Once again, Jose Mourinho showed his managerial prowess. His team endured the home side's best shot, then sought to pounce on them with their superior quality and skill in the second half.

Real were brilliant. Ronaldo was bringing defenders with him and then distributing to the likes of Ozil, Benzema, and Adebayor.

In the end, the result may very well leave Real with a sour taste in their mouths. Had they not been so unlucky (two off the post and a missed penalty call from the referee), they could be heading home with a similar lead as Chelsea.

You have to credit Lyon for fighting back. And it's certainly clear that they are confident against the star-studded lineup of Real after beating them last season.

We're set up for a very intriguing second leg between these two. I'd have to call Madrid the favorites, but that was the case last year, too. Just about anything could happen When these two meet in a fortnights time.