Dinamo Zagreb 1 : 7 Lyonnais - Seven heaven for Lyon

Posted Wednesday, December 07, 2011 by PA

Bafetimbi Gomis struck four times as Lyon routed 10-man Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 and completed a remarkable nine-goal swing to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League ahead of Group D rivals Ajax.

With Ajax losing to group winners Real Madrid, the French side still had a mathematical chance of going through but were seven adrift on goal difference.

Real's 3-0 win in Amsterdam did some of the work but a stunning six-goal showing in the second period against Dinamo was decisive.

Gomis scored a seven-minute hat-trick interrupted by half-time, while Maxime Gonalons, Lisandro Lopez and Jimmy Briand also found the net.

The hosts had actually taken the lead through Mateo Kovacic, despite Jerko Leko picking up a second yellow card after 28 minutes.

The game started positively, Lyon's Gueida Fofana and Dinamo's Jorge Sammir exchanging 20-yard efforts in the first five minutes and Yoann Gourcuff blasting over soon after.

Lyon began to impose themselves on the match, Gonalons' header working Ivan Kelava in the Dinamo goal and Briand sliding another effort wide from inside the area.

Leko was dismissed for a second caution but it did not disrupt his side initially.

Kelava saved well from Alexandre Lacazette to keep the score at 0-0, with Kovacic taking full advantage as he went on to put the hosts ahead against the run of play as Hugo Lloris parried a cross into his path.

The Ligue 1 side managed to level just before the interval, Gomis converting Aly Cissokho's left-wing cross.

The visitors had the lead less than two minutes after the restart, Gonalons the scorer following Briand's headed pass.

Briand then claimed another assist moments later as Gomis grabbed a second to make it 3-1.

The hat-trick goal was in the net in the 52nd-minute as a shell-shocked Dinamo allowed the rampant Cissokho to set up Lyon's fourth.

The Croatians somehow went 12 minutes without conceding, though Gomis might easily have netted twice in that period - including an overhead kick against the post and a wide attempt from close range.

Lopez was the scorer after 64 minutes with a left-footed shot past the despairing Kelava.

Lyon were relentless in their search for the goals they still needed to progress and Gomis tucked away his fourth from 12 yards after more good work by Cissokho.

That left 20 minutes to play with the score at 6-1 and it was not long before Briand became his side's fourth goalscorer, striking low into the bottom right of goal from Lopez's pass.

There were no further goals in the closing 15 minutes, but by then Remi Garde's side had already achieved their remarkable target.