Leyon - Arabstoday
First half goals from Bafetimbi Gomis and Bakary Kone allowed Lyon to saunter to a routine European success against comparatively limited opponents.Olympique Lyonnais marked their 100th Champions League encounter with their first group stage victory of the 2011-12 campaign, defeating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in France.During a dominant first half, Remi Garde’s side would register on two occasions. Bafetimbi Gomis continued his good recent form with a delightful chip, while Bakary Kone battered the second home from a corner.Lyon had started in a really positive fashion, moving the ball about well and unsettling their guests. Within three minutes Gomis had passed up a golden chance, blazing a loose ball over from six yards, and before they opened the scoring Maxime Gonalons would miss a comparable opening in similar circumstances.Having passed up these simple chances due to an overuse of brawn, Gomis elected for finesse with his next chance, and succeeded in glorious fashion as his lovely clipped finish from range left Ivan Kelava stranded.The hosts might have added to their lead soon afterwards, but Gomis scooped another fine chance over the top as Kim Kallstrom offered superb service from the left.Accurate deliveries from the Swede would be a feature of the evening, and when a corner kick from the ex-Rennes man fell to the unmarked Kone a mere six yards from goal, he had no problems diverting a shot into the net.Before the interval, Clement Grenier might have added a third, but his superb feathery first touch was not matched by his finish, though the save from Kelava deserves credit. Opportunities for the visitors were scarce. It took the Croats over an hour to muster their first effort on goal, though Sammir’s effort was nullified by a heavy deflection. Moments later, though, it took a superb block from Kim Kallstrom to prevent the impressive Domagoj Vida scrambling home from a corner.In the closing stages, the visiting side continued to press for a way back into the match as Lyon were content largely to play out time.Ultimately, Garde’s side could afford to relax, conserving their energy for a big weekend meeting with Paris Saint-Germain and pushing themselves onto four points ahead of a Champions League double-header against Real Madrid, which is sure to stretch this young side to their maximum.