PARIS – Jose Mourinho’s dreams of landing the Champions League for the third time as a coach remained firmly alive on Tuesday after Real Madrid secured a 1-1 draw away at French bogey team Lyon in their Last 16 first leg clash.
One of Mourinho’s former teams Chelsea – a rarity in that he couldn’t guide them to Champions League title success unlike at Porto and last year Inter Milan – got a crucial 2-0 away win against FC Copenhagen with former Real Madrid striker Nicolas Anelka getting both. The win couldn’t have come at a better time for embattled Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti, whose side realistically can only hope for this as a potential trophy but if successful would deliver the one that Russian owner Roman Abramovich has always desired more than any other.
Real had victory in their sights when Lyon old boy Karim Benzema came off the bench for the disappointing Emmanuel Adebayor and scored within a minute – Bafitimbi Gomis was to grab an equaliser seven minutes from time to make up for missing an open goal in a first-half the hosts dominated.
Anelka’s 15th and 16th goals of the season put Chelsea on course for the quarter-finals and they should have no trouble finishing off the lacklustre Danish champions in the return at Stamford Bridge next month. It was a crucial victory for Ancelotti – the club’s first in four matches including a penalty shootout loss to Everton last Saturday in the FA Cup – as the Chelsea manager fights to save his job following a woeful run of results which left the Blues in turmoil.
BLACKPOOL DOWN SPURS: Blackpool dealt a blow to Tottenham’s hopes of securing Champions League qualification on Tuesday, scoring their first win in seven matches with a 3-1 victory at Bloomfield Road. First half goals from Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell and a late Brett Ormerod strike secured three precious points for Ian Holloway’s side, who had slipped close to the relegation zone after losing five of their six previous matches. The win saw Blackpool advance to 12th spot, five points clear of the relegation places. Spurs, who could have moved into third place with a victory, remain in fourth, two points ahead of champions Chelsea who have a game in hand.
