**Lyon took a giant step towards their first Champions League semi-final with victory over French rivals Bordeaux.**Lisandro Lopez put the hosts ahead after a mistake by Michael Ciani, but Marouane Chamakh headed in a 14th-minute equaliser.
Lyon were ahead at half-time thanks to Michel Bastos’s strike, which came after another defensive mistake.
And Lisandro’s penalty gave Lyon a two-goal cushion after Matthieu Chalme was harshly penalised for handball.
Ligue Un leaders Bordeaux came into the tie as slight favourites, having topped a Champions League group ahead of Bayern Munich and Juventus and won seven successive games in the competition, but the bedrock of that success was a miserly defence which conceded just three goals in eight games.
Lyon, however, needed only 10 minutes to breach the visitors’ surprisingly shaky backline for the first time.
Miralem Pjanic’s weak free-kick was easily blocked by the wall but the ball was hoofed back into the box where Ciani completely misjudged his clearance, with Mathieu Bodmer thumping the ball across goal for Lopez to divert home.
Four minutes later, Chamakh’s fourth Champions League goal of the season drew the visitors level, the Moroccan striker heading home after excellent work by Yoann Gourcuff on the right.
In a thrilling first half, both sides created chances at will.
A ball through the middle sent Cesar Delgado clear but the Argentine was denied by Bordeaux keeper Cedric Carrasso, while at the other end Hugo Lloris tipped over Yoan Gouffran’s flick and Chamakh headed wide.
But it was another defensive error which handed Lyon the lead. The build-up play was excellent, but Benoit Tremoulinas’s failure to head away Miralem Pjanic’s cross proved crucial and Bastos slotted in at the far post.
Bordeaux emerged with renewed intent in the second half and the brilliance of Lloris was all that kept Lyon in front.
The France keeper produced a miraculous save to keep out Chamakh’s acrobatic volley.
As a thrilling game continued to ebb and flow, Jean Makoun squandered the chance to extend Lyon’s lead when he shot too close to Carrasso, while at the other end, Wendel’s thumping volley crashed back off the crossbar.
Lyon, though, made the second-half breakthrough in highly fortunate fashion.
Aly Cissokho’s shot certainly hit Chalme’s arm, but it hardly looked intentional as the defender was sliding across to block and looking in the opposite direction.
Nonetheless, Felix Brych pointed to the spot and Lisandro stepped up to send Carrasso the wrong way.
Lisandro’s joy was shortlived, as a booking - which also looked harsh - ruled him out of the second leg minutes later.
But the Argentine striker will be hopeful his side can finish off the job in his absence when Lyon travel to Bordeaux on 7 April.
Bordeaux, fresh from defeat in the French League Cup at the weekend, at least saw Tremoulinas partially atone for his earlier error when he cleared off the line from Makoun late on, meaning Laurent Blanc’s side, with the comfort of an away goal, will approach the second leg with a glimmer of hope.
Bordeaux01 Carrasso02 Ciani21 Chalme (Henrique 82)28 Tremoulinas05 Menegazzo08 Gourcuff17 Wendell (Jussie 71)18 Plasil25 Sane07 Gouffran (Bellion 84)29 ChamakhSubstitutes16 Rame,03 Henrique,06 Jurietti,13 Placente,10 Jussie,09 Cavenaghi,11 BellionRef: BrychAtt: 40,000BORDEAUXPossessionLyon 50%Bordeaux 50%Attempts on targetLyon 0Bordeaux 0Attempts off targetLyon 0Bordeaux 0CornersLyon 0Bordeaux 0FoulsLyon 0Bordeaux 0
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