Lyon draw first blood
But the £20 million striker also offered some encouragement for Bordeaux when he picked up a late yellow card which means he will miss the second leg next week.
He will be badly missed and this is a tie that is far from over, with Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc still hopeful of meeting his former club United in the last four of the competition.
Lyon certainly deserved to win this first meeting, but Bordeaux created enough chances to give them hope that they can stage a comeback.
It was tighter than the scoreline suggests, which was no surprise in a high-stakes match between teams separated by only two points at the top of Ligue One in France.
Bordeaux, who broke Lyon’s seven-year monopoly of the championship last year are currently top again, with Lyon in fourth place in a fascinating title race where three points cover the top six clubs.
And it was equally difficult to separate them by looking at their performances in the Champions League.
Lyon who had fallen at this hurdle on three previous occasions, have proved formidable opponent at the Stade de Gerland, where they won all their Champions League games this season.
Bordeaux, meanwhile, were unbeaten as the finished top of a group that featured Bayern Munich and Juventus – and had won their last seven games in the competition.
But they were on their way to a defeat after 10 minutes when the defence failed to deal with a ball hopefully hooked towards the penalty spot. The ball fell Mathieu Bodmer, whose first time cross was diverted in by Lisandro’s outstretched left leg.
It was a relatively simple goal for the man who is Lyon’s top scorer, but the striker who has scored most goals for Bordeaux this season quickly responded with an equally effective piece of finishing.
Johann Gourcoff created it in the 14th minute when he tricked Jeremy Toulalan before delivering a cross that Marouane Chamakh headed in from six yards after climbing higher than two defenders.
So two of the teams with the strongest defensive records in this season’s Champions League had cracked inside the opening quarter of an hour.
And their back fours proved equally generous throughout the rest of a first-half that could, perhaps should, have ended 3-3. In the event, only one of a succession of chances was taken with 32 minutes gone and it stemmed from more wayward defending, this time by Bordeaux’s Benoit Tremoulinas.
He completely misjudged a cross from Miralem Pjanic and Michel Bastos exacted full punishment by taking one touch before angling a powerful shot into the far corner.
It was clinical finishing that his team-mate Cesar Delgado was unable to match when he went clear in the 25th minute and directed his shot too close to keeper Cedric Carasso.
Seconds later, Lyon keeper Hugo Loris showed why he is the current French No.1 ahead of Carasso with a reaction save to turn aside a flick from Yoann Gouffran.
However, it was a case of Hugo first five minutes later when Lloris was substantially less impressive as he miserably failed to reach a cross and escaped when Chamakh headed narrowly wide of the deserted goal.
Factor in a series of marginal offside decisions that went against Lyon and there could be no doubt that Blanc had plenty to say to his defenders during the interval.
His words had some effect because the Bordeaux defence tightened up significantly and provided them with a platform to go in search of an equaliser.
And the visitors certainly created the better opportunities, notably when Chamakh’s 61st minute effort was brilliantly turned away at point- range by Lloris.
Lyon’s early difficulties prompted a double substitution after 66 minutes and they would have stretched their lead three minutes later if Cameroon international Jean Makoun had connected better with a glorious close-range opportunity.
Bordeaux were again agonisingly close to an equaliser when Geraldo Wendel struck the bar and Lyon only added to their pain when they pulled further ahead through a 77th minute penalty.
Matthieu Chalme handled Aly Cissokho’s shot and Lisandro calmly stroked in his second goal to give Lyon a two goal cushion for the second leg, which he will miss after picking up a yellow card.
LYON (4-2-3-1): Lloris 5; Reveillere 6, Cris 6, Bodmer 7, Cissokho 5; Makoun 6, Toulalan 5; Delgado 7 Gonalons 86,5), Pjanic 5 (Gouvou 66,5), Michel Bastos 6 (Kallstrom 66,5); Lisandro 8.
BORDEAUX (4-5-1): Carrasso 6; Chalme 5 (Henrique 83,5), Sane 5, Ciani 4, Tremoulinas 5; Plasil 6, Fernando 6; Gouffran 7 (Bellion 84,5), Gourcuff 6, Wendell 6 (Jussie 72,5); Chamakh 7.
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany) 7.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
