Lyon gear up for Real Madrid with win at Sochaux

PARIS, March 13 (AFP): Lyon prepared for their Champions League assignment at Real Madrid in ideal fashion with a 2-0 win at Sochaux on Saturday that lifted them to within a point of Ligue 1 leaders Lille. Claude Puel's side will take a 1-1 scoreline to Madrid in the second leg of their last 16 tie on Wednesday after condemning Sochaux to only their third home defeat of the campaign. Lisandro Lopez twice went close for Lyon before breaking the deadlock at the third attempt in the 22nd minute, calmly passing the ball into the bottom-right corner from strike partner Bafetimbi Gomis's intelligent pass. The hosts came agonisingly close to an equaliser early in the second half, but Damien Perquis's looping header was bravely cleared off the goal-line by Jeremy Toulalan after Hugo Lloris had rushed out from his goal. Lyon took just a matter of minutes to capitalise on their let-off, Miralem Pjanic drilling the ball inside the right-hand post to double Lyon's lead, and Gomis spurned two late chances to add further gloss to the scoreline. "Licha (Lisandro) and Bafe (Gomis) complement each other," said Puel, whose side lined up in an unfamiliar 4-4-2 formation. "They look for each other a lot and that's good. It's a shame that Bafe wasn't rewarded (with a goal) because his play was superb." Lyon climb above Marseille into third place on goal difference, a point shy of Lille and second-place Rennes. "What's important is to gain more confidence," added Puel. "We must continue to do that and remain vigilant, because everything can be called into question in every game. "Wednesday will be a completely different match." Elsewhere, an 80th-minute strike by Remy Cabella -- his first in Ligue 1 -- earned bottom club Arles-Avignon a 3-3 draw at home to Lorient in an end-to-end game at Avignon's Parc des Sports. "We've not given up hope of staying up," said Arles coach Faruk Hadzibegic, whose team are 17 points from safety with only 11 games remaining.