Tottenham 2 Lyon 1:Two stunning strikes from Gareth Bale earned Tottenham a slender lead against Lyon ahead of a return encounter in France next week, miraculously taking the shine off Samuel Umtiti's sublime goal.
In a game between two evenly-matched sides, Bale opened the scoring in first-half injury time with a remarkable effort from a central position. Having missed from six yards out only moments before, it was a goal worthy to win any match.
However, Umtiti’s rocket into the top corner 10 minutes after half-time brought Lyon level, only for Bale to curl another fine effort past Remy Vercoutre in injury-time.
Bale had earlier demonstrated that everything he touches with his left boot does not always turn to gold. Walker, again rampaging forward at will down the right, cut inside the area and played the ball back across goal, only for Bale to miss the target from edge of the six yard box. White Hart Lane could not believe it. Faith was restored in the winger, though, when he drilled a free-kick majestically into Vercoutre’s bottom corner.
But second-half pressure soon told for Lyon in the 55th minute when left-back Umtiti rifled the ball into the top corner from the left edge of the box. As much as Bale’s strike was wonderful, this was off the scale.
However, it was left to Bale to have the final say when he curled a fine effort past Vercoutre after Brad Friedel had made a wonderful save from Alexandre Lacazette.
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