UEFA Champions League/Rangers 0 Olympique Lyon 3:Alain Perrin enjoyed little success during his troubled time in British football as the manager of Portsmouth so he is entitled to savour this triumph. A stunning three-goal victory from his Lyon side ensured it is they, and not Rangers, who join Barcelona in the knockout phase after qualifying from Group E.
It is to be the Uefa Cup then for Walter Smith's Rangers, who opened this campaign with victories against Stuttgart and in Lyon.
It took Rangers 45 minutes to come to terms with the magnitude of the task in front of them last night, by which time their visitors had already gained a crucial lead. The immense Karim Benzema scored two further goals late on, with the Rangers substitute Jean-Claude Darcheville red-carded in stoppage-time for a push on Kim Kallstrom.
Smith had warned on Tuesday that the individual talent among Lyon's squad considerably outweighed that of his own, an observation justified within four minutes as Juninho, the French side's Brazilian midfielder, played a magnificent reverse pass into the feet of Sidney Govou. The palpable sense of relief as Govou somehow contrived to shoot wide of Allan McGregor's goal from six yards hinted that it would be a long night for the anxious home fans.
A breakthrough, even at such a premature stage, appeared inevitable and it duly arrived. McGregor did his best to cut out Benzema's low cut-back from the Lyon right-hand side but could merely palm the ball to the feet of Govou. This time he displayed no hint of wastefulness, firing into the roof of the Rangers net from 12 yards.
It was not only the guile of Juninho but the sight of a fluid, six-prong visiting midfield and attack which was sparking fear among their opponents. Rangers' sole tactic against such brilliance centred on the use of physical strength, often illegally; Alan Hutton's booking for a lunge on Govou earned him a suspension for his team's next European outing.
It was an error from Remy Vercoutre which handed fresh impetus to Rangers early in the second half, the Lyon goalkeeper misjudging a Hutton cross five minutes after the restart; Sebastien Squillaci had to clear off his own goalline.
Lyon's removal of Hatem Ben Arfa and Govou illustrated Perrin's growing belief that one goal might be enough to secure victory, but that was before Darcheville blasted over the bar from six yards.
His was a costly example of profligacy. Five minutes from time, with Rangers pressing for any form of salvation, a mix-up in their defence between McGregor and Carlos Cuellar allowed Benzema to prod home from 12 yards.
The same player then rounded off a memorable occasion for the French champions, firing home a 25-yard drive before Darcheville's disappointment got the better of him.
Guardian Service
RANGERS:McGregor, Hutton, Cuellar, Weir, Papac (Darcheville 71), Hemdani (Boyd 84), Thomson, Whittaker, Ferguson, McCulloch, Cousin (Naismith 46). Subs not used: Carroll, Adam, Broadfoot, Faye. Booked: Thomson, Hutton, Cuellar.
OLYMPIQUE LYON:Vercoutre, Clerc, Squillaci, Anderson, Grosso, Juninho (Baros 85), Toulalan, Kallstrom, Govou (Reveillere 77), Benzema, Ben Arfa (Bodmer 67). Subs Not Used: Roux, Remy, Belhadj, Keita. Booked: Govou, Juninho.
Referee:Lubos Michel (Slovakia).
