Olympique Lyonnais will be out to 'reduce' the influence of Lionel Messi when they host Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 first leg without their talisman and captain Nabil Fekir on Tuesday.

Fekir will be suspended for the game, limiting Lyon's striking power as Bruno Genesio's side will rely on defender Ferland Mendy to contain Argentine forward Messi and French striker Ousmane Dembele.

"Nabil Fekir is our captain and technical leader. We will have to do more to compensate for his absence," Genesio told reporters on Monday.

"We will have to reduce Messi's influence."

Despite Messi having scored more than 100 times in the Champions League, Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar has confidence in his team mate Mendy to control proceedings at the Groupama Stadium.

"I think that Ferland Mendy is ready to face Messi," he said.

"We are confident in the qualities of our squad."

Aouar's enthusiasm may yet be dented as Lyon are also sweating on the fitness of defender Jason Denayer and midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The French side geared up for Tuesday's clash with a hard-fought 2-1 Ligue 1 win against Guingamp on Friday while Barca needed a Messi penalty to beat Real Valladolid 1-0 in La Liga on Saturday.

Lyon are the clear underdogs but they have already shown they can rise up to the big occasions, inflicting Paris St Germain's only Ligue 1 defeat of the season a couple of weeks ago. They also beat English champions Manchester City in the Champions League group stage in September.

Olympique Lyonnais will be out to 'reduce' the influence of Lionel Messi when they host Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 first leg without their talisman and captain Nabil Fekir on Tuesday.

Olympique Lyonnais will be out to 'reduce' the influence of Lionel Messi when they host Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 first leg without their talisman and captain Nabil Fekir on Tuesday. Fekir will be suspended for the game, limiting Lyon's striking power as Bruno Genesio's side will rely on defender Ferland Mendy to contain Argentine forward Messi and French striker Ousmane Dembele. "Nabil Fekir is our captain and technical leader. We will have to do more to compensate for his absence," Genesio told reporters on Monday. "We will have to reduce Messi's influence." Despite Messi having scored more than 100 times in the Champions League, Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar has confidence in his team mate Mendy to control proceedings at the Groupama Stadium. "I think that Ferland Mendy is ready to face Messi," he said. "We are confident in the qualities of our squad." Aouar's enthusiasm may yet be dented as Lyon are also sweating on the fitness of defender Jason Denayer and midfielder Tanguy Ndombele. The French side geared up for Tuesday's clash with a hard-fought 2-1 Ligue 1 win against Guingamp on Friday while Barca needed a Messi penalty to beat Real Valladolid 1-0 in La Liga on Saturday. Lyon are the clear underdogs but they have already shown they can rise up to the big occasions, inflicting Paris St Germain's only Ligue 1 defeat of the season a couple of weeks ago. They also beat English champions Manchester City in the Champions League group stage in September.

Lyon hoping to limit Lionel Messi's influence

Olympique Lyonnais earned the point they required to book their place in the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=Champions+Leauge">Champions League</a> last 16 but needed Nabil Fekir's equaliser 20 minutes into the second half to salvage a 1-1 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk.

The French side fell behind to a goal from Junior Moraes midway through the first half and looked in danger of being overtaken in Group F by the Ukraine side and bowing out.

But Fekir's curled shot from just inside the box meant they drew for the fifth time in the group to finish as runners-up to Premier League champions Manchester City.

Lyon had never lost against Ukrainian opposition in five previous European encounters and came into the match in good form, having lost only twice in 17 matches so far this season.

They were the better team for most of the match but suffered some hair-raising moments in the final period of the game as Shakhtar threw everything forward in search of the goal that would have taken them through.

In the end, though, it was Shakhtar's inability to keep a clean sheet -- this was their eighth European match in a row where they conceded at least one goal -- that cost them dearly.

The result means Shakhtar finish in third place and go into the Europa League knockout stage.

Olympique Lyonnais earned the point they required to book their place in the Champions League last 16 but needed Nabil Fekir's equaliser 20 minutes into the second half to salvage a 1-1 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Olympique Lyonnais earned the point they required to book their place in the Champions League last 16 but needed Nabil Fekir's equaliser 20 minutes into the second half to salvage a 1-1 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk. The French side fell behind to a goal from Junior Moraes midway through the first half and looked in danger of being overtaken in Group F by the Ukraine side and bowing out. But Fekir's curled shot from just inside the box meant they drew for the fifth time in the group to finish as runners-up to Premier League champions Manchester City. Lyon had never lost against Ukrainian opposition in five previous European encounters and came into the match in good form, having lost only twice in 17 matches so far this season. They were the better team for most of the match but suffered some hair-raising moments in the final period of the game as Shakhtar threw everything forward in search of the goal that would have taken them through. In the end, though, it was Shakhtar's inability to keep a clean sheet -- this was their eighth European match in a row where they conceded at least one goal -- that cost them dearly. The result means Shakhtar finish in third place and go into the Europa League knockout stage.

Champions League: Lyon draw with Shakhtar to reach last 16

Olympique Lyonnais will be playing against <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=manchester+city">Machester City</a> in a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=champions+league">UEFA Champions League</a> Group F match on November 27.

Currently, City top the League table with nine points and Lyon stands on second with three points.

Lyon head coach, Bruno Genesio said his team is looking forward to clinching victory in the upcoming match against City mentioning that once his team was able to put them in trouble and win the game and they will try to repeat the same.

"The advice is to play the game with anything in the back of their heads (to use their brains). We are facing a team superior to us on paper, but as you saw in the first meeting, we were able to put them in trouble and to win against them. We will try to repeat what we did well in the first game," he said.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OLMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OLMC</a> Bruno Genesio donne les clés pour réussir un second exploit face à Manchester City ! 🔴🔵 <a href="https://t.co/aefjyilGti">pic.twitter.com/aefjyilGti</a>
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Lyon coach also talked about the last games saying that the team performance was not up to the mark.

"If we look at their last games we should be worried. But I think the only way to put them in trouble is to play our game. If we only try to defend against these kind of teams, we will concede one great goal and we will lose it."

This match is a must win for Lyon so they can earn crucial&nbsp;and very important three points to be in contention to qualify for the knockout stages.

Olympique Lyonnais will be playing against Machester City in a UEFA Champions League Group F match on November 27. Currently, City top the League table with nine points and Lyon stands on second with three points.

Olympique Lyonnais will be playing against Machester City in a UEFA Champions League Group F match on November 27. Currently, City top the League table with nine points and Lyon stands on second with three points. Lyon head coach, Bruno Genesio said his team is looking forward to clinching victory in the upcoming match against City mentioning that once his team was able to put them in trouble and win the game and they will try to repeat the same. "The advice is to play the game with anything in the back of their heads (to use their brains). We are facing a team superior to us on paper, but as you saw in the first meeting, we were able to put them in trouble and to win against them. We will try to repeat what we did well in the first game," he said. #OLMC Bruno Genesio donne les clés pour réussir un second exploit face à Manchester City ! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/aefjyilGti — Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) November 27, 2018 × Lyon coach also talked about the last games saying that the team performance was not up to the mark. "If we look at their last games we should be worried. But I think the only way to put them in trouble is to play our game. If we only try to defend against these kind of teams, we will concede one great goal and we will lose it." This match is a must win for Lyon so they can earn crucial and very important three points to be in contention to qualify for the knockout stages.

The only way to put City in trouble is to play our game, says Lyon coach Genesio

Olympique Lyonnais produced a stirring fightback to claw back two superb goals from Shakhtar Donetsk's Junior Moraes and rescue a 2-2 draw behind closed doors in a thrilling end-to-end contest at their Groupama Stadium on Tuesday.

Lyon, serving a one-game crowd ban for trouble caused by their fans during their Europa League tie against CSKA Moscow in March, looked set to pay the price as their early performance fell as flat as the atmosphere in the eerily-silent 59,000-seat arena.

Looking nothing like the inspired, organised outfit that defeated Manchester City 2-1 in England in their opening Group F match, Lyon were outplayed in the first half and deservedly fell behind just before the break to a superb left-foot strike from Moraes.

The Brazilian then doubled the lead with an even better second 10 minutes after halftime, curling his side-footed effort into the corner from a narrow angle.

Belatedly Lyon roused themselves with Moussa Dembele heading one back in the 70th minute after having already missed two fine chances and Leo Dubois striking his first goal for the club a couple of minutes later.

Both sides hunted for the winner with abandon in the last quarter with, first the Ukrainians looking as if they might collapse under the fightback but then almost stealing victory with a late flourish when a shot from substitute Olarenwaju Kayode struck the bar.

Bruno Genesio, Lyon's coach, conceded that his side had "completely messed up the first half" but added: "We managed to produce a reaction and that's important...Overall, I think a draw was a fair result."

Yet Paulo Fonseca, Shakhtar's coach, felt his side deserved all three points. "It's a pity we ended the game like that because we deserved more than just a draw."

Man of the match Moraes reckoned he had been left "sad" by the way his side lost concentration after his goals.

The draw left Lyon still at the head of the table on four points but Manchester City, who had earlier won 2-1 at Hoffenheim, took over in second place with three points as Shakhtar had to settle for a second successive 2-2 draw.

Olympique Lyonnais produced a stirring fightback to claw back two superb goals from Shakhtar Donetsk's Junior Moraes and rescue a 2-2 draw behind closed doors in a thrilling end-to-end contest at their Groupama Stadium on Tuesday.

Olympique Lyonnais produced a stirring fightback to claw back two superb goals from Shakhtar Donetsk's Junior Moraes and rescue a 2-2 draw behind closed doors in a thrilling end-to-end contest at their Groupama Stadium on Tuesday. Lyon, serving a one-game crowd ban for trouble caused by their fans during their Europa League tie against CSKA Moscow in March, looked set to pay the price as their early performance fell as flat as the atmosphere in the eerily-silent 59,000-seat arena. Looking nothing like the inspired, organised outfit that defeated Manchester City 2-1 in England in their opening Group F match, Lyon were outplayed in the first half and deservedly fell behind just before the break to a superb left-foot strike from Moraes. The Brazilian then doubled the lead with an even better second 10 minutes after halftime, curling his side-footed effort into the corner from a narrow angle. Belatedly Lyon roused themselves with Moussa Dembele heading one back in the 70th minute after having already missed two fine chances and Leo Dubois striking his first goal for the club a couple of minutes later. Both sides hunted for the winner with abandon in the last quarter with, first the Ukrainians looking as if they might collapse under the fightback but then almost stealing victory with a late flourish when a shot from substitute Olarenwaju Kayode struck the bar. Bruno Genesio, Lyon's coach, conceded that his side had "completely messed up the first half" but added: "We managed to produce a reaction and that's important...Overall, I think a draw was a fair result." Yet Paulo Fonseca, Shakhtar's coach, felt his side deserved all three points. "It's a pity we ended the game like that because we deserved more than just a draw." Man of the match Moraes reckoned he had been left "sad" by the way his side lost concentration after his goals. The draw left Lyon still at the head of the table on four points but Manchester City, who had earlier won 2-1 at Hoffenheim, took over in second place with three points as Shakhtar had to settle for a second successive 2-2 draw.

Lyon rebound from two down behind closed doors to earn draw

Everton&#39;s miserable Europa League run continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday and remained bottom of their group as Arsenal beat 10-man Red Star Belgrade 1-0 thanks to an acrobatic late goal by Olivier Giroud.

Everton badly needed a win against Lyon after taking one point from their previous two games but they went behind in the sixth minute to a penalty by Nabil Fekir.

Ashley Williams headed them level in the 69th after being fortunate to only be yellow-carded for igniting a mass brawl when he shoved visiting goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.

Everton nearly went ahead when a Gilfi Sigurdsson free kick came off the far post but former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore struck to restore Lyon&#39;s lead, leaving Ronald Koeman&#39;s side at the foot of Group E with one point from three games.

The Dutch coach is under pressure as his side have only won three games out of 12 in all competitions and are 16th in the Premier League standings.

&quot;We always feel pressure, from ourselves and pressure from outside,&quot; Everton defender Williams told reporters.

&quot;It&rsquo;s disappointing we didn&rsquo;t get a result tonight because I felt we had a good attitude, and I thought we had a lot of chances.&quot;

Serie A side Atalanta lead the group on seven points after beating Apollon Limassol.

Arsenal were given a fright in Belgrade when Richmond Boaqye hit the woodwork but they took advantage of Milan Rodic getting sent off in the 81st minute as Giroud leapt to scoop a cushioned header from Theo Walcott into the top corner, completing a sweeping move through the middle.

Arsenal top Group H with a maximum nine points from three games after returning to winning ways following their 2-1 defeat by Watford in the Premier League.

&quot;It was a very difficult game amid high and heated intensity,&quot; said Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.

&quot;The (home crowd) support was absolutely amazing, it was fantastic. Red Star are a massive club with a big history and the people here know their football.&quot;

BATE Borisov are second after beating Bundesliga side FC Koln, who have lost all three games in their first European campaign in 20 years.

Zenit St Petersburg, FCSB and Lazio are the only other teams to have won all three of their group games as seven-times European champions AC Milan lost their 100 percent record after a goalless home draw with AEK Athens.

Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for Nice against Lazio but the Serie A side quickly turned the game on its head to win 3-1, with Felipe Caicedo levelling soon after Balotelli&#39;s opener and Serb Sergej Milinkovic-Savic striking twice after halftime.

RECORD AWAY WIN

Real Sociedad hammered FK Vardar 6-0 to set a competition record for the biggest away win with the help of four goals from Brazilian forward Willian Jose, while fellow Liga side Athletic Bilbao were left on the brink of elimination as they drew 2-2 at Swedish side Ostersund.

A late goal from veteran striker Aritz Aduriz prevented a second consecutive defeat for the 2012 finalists, who are third in Group J on two points, four behind second-placed Zorya and five behind leaders Ostersund.

FC Copenhagen&#39;s game at Czech side Fastav Zlin was suspended in the 70th minute due to fog, but play resumed soon afterwards and the match ended 1-1.

Everton's miserable Europa League run continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday and remained bottom of their group as Arsenal beat 10-man Red Star Belgrade 1-0 thanks to an acrobatic late goal by Olivier Giroud.

Everton's miserable Europa League run continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday and remained bottom of their group as Arsenal beat 10-man Red Star Belgrade 1-0 thanks to an acrobatic late goal by Olivier Giroud. Everton badly needed a win against Lyon after taking one point from their previous two games but they went behind in the sixth minute to a penalty by Nabil Fekir. Ashley Williams headed them level in the 69th after being fortunate to only be yellow-carded for igniting a mass brawl when he shoved visiting goalkeeper Anthony Lopes. Everton nearly went ahead when a Gilfi Sigurdsson free kick came off the far post but former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore struck to restore Lyon's lead, leaving Ronald Koeman's side at the foot of Group E with one point from three games. The Dutch coach is under pressure as his side have only won three games out of 12 in all competitions and are 16th in the Premier League standings. "We always feel pressure, from ourselves and pressure from outside," Everton defender Williams told reporters. "It’s disappointing we didn’t get a result tonight because I felt we had a good attitude, and I thought we had a lot of chances." Serie A side Atalanta lead the group on seven points after beating Apollon Limassol. Arsenal were given a fright in Belgrade when Richmond Boaqye hit the woodwork but they took advantage of Milan Rodic getting sent off in the 81st minute as Giroud leapt to scoop a cushioned header from Theo Walcott into the top corner, completing a sweeping move through the middle. Arsenal top Group H with a maximum nine points from three games after returning to winning ways following their 2-1 defeat by Watford in the Premier League. "It was a very difficult game amid high and heated intensity," said Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger. "The (home crowd) support was absolutely amazing, it was fantastic. Red Star are a massive club with a big history and the people here know their football." BATE Borisov are second after beating Bundesliga side FC Koln, who have lost all three games in their first European campaign in 20 years. Zenit St Petersburg, FCSB and Lazio are the only other teams to have won all three of their group games as seven-times European champions AC Milan lost their 100 percent record after a goalless home draw with AEK Athens. Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for Nice against Lazio but the Serie A side quickly turned the game on its head to win 3-1, with Felipe Caicedo levelling soon after Balotelli's opener and Serb Sergej Milinkovic-Savic striking twice after halftime. RECORD AWAY WIN Real Sociedad hammered FK Vardar 6-0 to set a competition record for the biggest away win with the help of four goals from Brazilian forward Willian Jose, while fellow Liga side Athletic Bilbao were left on the brink of elimination as they drew 2-2 at Swedish side Ostersund. A late goal from veteran striker Aritz Aduriz prevented a second consecutive defeat for the 2012 finalists, who are third in Group J on two points, four behind second-placed Zorya and five behind leaders Ostersund. FC Copenhagen's game at Czech side Fastav Zlin was suspended in the 70th minute due to fog, but play resumed soon afterwards and the match ended 1-1.

Everton lose to Lyon, Giroud's acrobatic goal lifts Arsenal

Schalke 04 hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 and overcome fellow Germans Borussia Moenchenglach on away goals in their Europa League last 16 tie while Manchester United edged Rostov 1-0 to progress on Thursday.

Juan Mata&#39;s second-half goal gave the English Premier League&#39;s only survivors in the competition a 2-1 aggregate win over the Russians.

Olympique Lyon clung on to eliminate AS Roma 5-4 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat, while former European trophy winners Ajax Amsterdam and Anderlecht also went through along with Racing Genk.

Russia&#39;s interest in this season&#39;s European competitions ended as Krasnodar threw away a promising position at home to Celta and lost 2-0 for a 4-1 aggregate defeat.

Besiktas hammered Olympiakos Piraeus 4-1 (5-2 on aggregate) despite having Vincent Aboubakar, scorer of their first goal, sent off six minutes before halftime.

Schalke, trailing at halftime to a deflected shot from Andreas Christensen and a 30-metre rocket from Mahmoud Dahoud, were helped by a bumpy pitch as they hit back against Gladbach.

Leon Goretzka&#39;s low shot appeared to be going straight to Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer but hit a divot and looped over the Swiss and into the net in the 54th minute. &quot;It&#39;s tough, I can&#39;t say anything other than that,&quot; said Sommer.

Dahoub then turned villain as his handball led to a Schalke penalty converted by Nabil Bentaleb in the 68th to give the Royal Blues an away goals win after a 3-3 aggregate draw.

Mata Strikes

Manchester United, who held Rostov 1-1 on a difficult pitch in the first leg, needed a 70th minute goal from Juan Mata, who turned the ball home from Zlatan Ibrahimovic&#39;s back-heel, and two good saves from Sergio Romero.

However, midfielder Paul Pogba was forced off with an injury in the second half, putting a dampener on the win.

Lyon took a 4-2 lead to the Stadio Olimpico and quickly added to it when Mactour Diakhaby was allowed a free header from six metres in the 16th minute against Roma.

Kevin Strootman levelled within a minute, turning in Daniele De Rossi&#39;s free kick at the back post, and it was one-way traffic after that as the home side poured forward.

Lyon&#39;s Lucas Tousart turned Stephan El Shaarawy&#39;s cross into his own net to put Roma 2-1 ahead on the hour and the hosts thought they had done enough to progress with an Edin Dzeko effort but the Bosnia forward was ruled offside.

First-half goals from Bertrand Traore and Kasper Dolberg gave Ajax a 2-0 win over FC Copenhagen which took the four-times European champions through 3-2 on aggregate.

Frank Acheampong&#39;s second half goal was enough for former European Cup Winners&#39; Cup and UEFA Cup holders Anderlecht to beat APOEL 1-0 and go through2-0 on aggregate.

Racing Genk coasted through 6-3 on aggregate against fellow Belgians Gent after a 1-1 draw.

Besiktas, who drew 1-1 at Olympiakos last week, got off to a flying start as Aboubakar and Ryan Babel scored inside the first 22 minutes.

The Greek side pulled one back with Tarik Elyounoussi&#39;s acrobatic volley in the 31st and were given more hope when Aboubakar was dismissed for violent conduct eight minutes later.

But Olympiakos left themselves too open and further late goals from Babel and Cenk Tosun saw the Turks ease through.

The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on Friday.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Manchester United went through after beating Rostov 1-0

Schalke 04 hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 and overcome fellow Germans Borussia Moenchenglach on away goals in their Europa League last 16 tie while Manchester United edged Rostov 1-0 to progress on Thursday. Juan Mata's second-half goal gave the English Premier League's only survivors in the competition a 2-1 aggregate win over the Russians. Olympique Lyon clung on to eliminate AS Roma 5-4 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat, while former European trophy winners Ajax Amsterdam and Anderlecht also went through along with Racing Genk. Russia's interest in this season's European competitions ended as Krasnodar threw away a promising position at home to Celta and lost 2-0 for a 4-1 aggregate defeat. Besiktas hammered Olympiakos Piraeus 4-1 (5-2 on aggregate) despite having Vincent Aboubakar, scorer of their first goal, sent off six minutes before halftime. Schalke, trailing at halftime to a deflected shot from Andreas Christensen and a 30-metre rocket from Mahmoud Dahoud, were helped by a bumpy pitch as they hit back against Gladbach. Leon Goretzka's low shot appeared to be going straight to Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer but hit a divot and looped over the Swiss and into the net in the 54th minute. "It's tough, I can't say anything other than that," said Sommer. Dahoub then turned villain as his handball led to a Schalke penalty converted by Nabil Bentaleb in the 68th to give the Royal Blues an away goals win after a 3-3 aggregate draw. Mata Strikes Manchester United, who held Rostov 1-1 on a difficult pitch in the first leg, needed a 70th minute goal from Juan Mata, who turned the ball home from Zlatan Ibrahimovic's back-heel, and two good saves from Sergio Romero. However, midfielder Paul Pogba was forced off with an injury in the second half, putting a dampener on the win. Lyon took a 4-2 lead to the Stadio Olimpico and quickly added to it when Mactour Diakhaby was allowed a free header from six metres in the 16th minute against Roma. Kevin Strootman levelled within a minute, turning in Daniele De Rossi's free kick at the back post, and it was one-way traffic after that as the home side poured forward. Lyon's Lucas Tousart turned Stephan El Shaarawy's cross into his own net to put Roma 2-1 ahead on the hour and the hosts thought they had done enough to progress with an Edin Dzeko effort but the Bosnia forward was ruled offside. First-half goals from Bertrand Traore and Kasper Dolberg gave Ajax a 2-0 win over FC Copenhagen which took the four-times European champions through 3-2 on aggregate. Frank Acheampong's second half goal was enough for former European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup holders Anderlecht to beat APOEL 1-0 and go through2-0 on aggregate. Racing Genk coasted through 6-3 on aggregate against fellow Belgians Gent after a 1-1 draw. Besiktas, who drew 1-1 at Olympiakos last week, got off to a flying start as Aboubakar and Ryan Babel scored inside the first 22 minutes. The Greek side pulled one back with Tarik Elyounoussi's acrobatic volley in the 31st and were given more hope when Aboubakar was dismissed for violent conduct eight minutes later. But Olympiakos left themselves too open and further late goals from Babel and Cenk Tosun saw the Turks ease through. The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on Friday. (Reuters)

Football: Schalke, Lyon and Ajax also advance to Europa League last eight

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon Saturday said he studied India&#39;s Ravichandran Ashwin to excel in Indian conditions after his career-best haul of eight wickets helped Australia take opening day honours in the second Test in Bangalore.

Lyon, whose figures of 8-50 became the best by a visiting bowler on Indian soil, wreaked havoc in the final session of play as India were bowled out for a paltry 189.

Australia were 40 for no loss at stumps with openers David Warner (23) and Matt Renshaw (15) at the crease. The visitors trail India by 149 runs in the first innings.

Lyon, who got the key wickets of India&#39;s Virat Kohli (12) and top run-getter Lokesh Rahul (90), eclipsed former South African pacer Lance Klusener&#39;s show of 8-64 at Kolkata in 1996.

&quot;Obviously I have studied a lot of what (Indian off-spinner) Ashwin does very well over here. He is the best spinner of the world and if I can learn off him then so good,&quot; Lyon told reporters.

&quot;It&#39;s finally very satisfying to get some rewards for the hard work that you put in,&quot; said Lyon, also giving credit to former Victoria wicketkeeper Darren Berry and Australia spin consultant John Davison, with whom he has worked at different phases during his career.

This was the third successive time in the four-match series that the world&#39;s number one Test side failed as a batting unit after they scored 105 and 107 during their opening loss.

But the pitch in Bangalore, which has an average first innings score of 451 in the last seven Tests, seemed to have no demons like the turning track in Pune that was rated poor by the match referee.

Lyon struck shortly after lunch to get Kohli trapped lbw for 12, as the batsman once again offered no shot to an Australian spinner. He was bowled by left-arm spinner Steve O&#39;Keefe in the first Test.

&quot;Interesting wicket. It&#39;s what we expected over here. We knew we weren&#39;t going to have much grass on the wicket,&quot; said Lyon, who bettered his previous best of 7-94 at Delhi in 2013.

&quot;I didn&#39;t expect so many cracks on day one but they&#39;re there. I&#39;ll reassess the wicket after both teams bat on it,&quot; he added.

Kohli&#39;s prized scalp

Kohli, who had a rare flop in Pune with scores of 0 and 13, faltered again after choosing to pad up Lyon&#39;s off-spin that headed straight onto the stumps and was adjudged lbw.

Kohli, who was bowled by left-arm spinner Steve O&#39;Keefe in the second innings of the first Test, wasted a review as the replays agreed with the umpires call and the star batsman walked back with pin drop silence at the ground.

&quot;He is one of the best players of the world. To take his wicket today was exceptional but we know it&#39;s a long series. We expect him to bounce back,&quot; said Lyon.

Earlier pacemen Mitchell Starc, who got opener Abhinav Mukund for nought, and Josh Hazlewood bowled probing spells to rattle the Indian batting early in the first session.

Rahul, who has survived two dropped catches on 30 and 61 at his home venue, did grind his way against the Aussie attack but got little support from the other end.

Rahul, who recorded his third Test fifty in his 15th match, finally got out to Lyon. The batsman injured his shoulder during an ugly slog against Steve O&#39;Keefe in the latter part of his innings.

Rahul&#39;s 61-run second wicket stand with Cheteshwar Pujara (17) seemed to be the only bit of resistance in the Indian batting. Karun Nair also contributed with 26.

&quot;Like I said, the cracks are opening up and it&#39;s only getting harder to bat on this wicket,&quot; said Rahul of the Bangalore track.

Rahul also backed Ashwin, the world&#39;s top Test bowler, to come back hard against the Australian batsmen on the second day.

&quot;We know Ash (Ashwin) is a top class bowler and once he gets a couple of wickets and gets into that rhythm then he is going to run through the Australian batting line-up, which we are very confident of,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

Lyon, whose figures of 8-50 became the best by a visiting bowler on Indian soil, wreaked havoc as India were bowled out for a paltry 189

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon Saturday said he studied India's Ravichandran Ashwin to excel in Indian conditions after his career-best haul of eight wickets helped Australia take opening day honours in the second Test in Bangalore. Lyon, whose figures of 8-50 became the best by a visiting bowler on Indian soil, wreaked havoc in the final session of play as India were bowled out for a paltry 189. Australia were 40 for no loss at stumps with openers David Warner (23) and Matt Renshaw (15) at the crease. The visitors trail India by 149 runs in the first innings. Lyon, who got the key wickets of India's Virat Kohli (12) and top run-getter Lokesh Rahul (90), eclipsed former South African pacer Lance Klusener's show of 8-64 at Kolkata in 1996. "Obviously I have studied a lot of what (Indian off-spinner) Ashwin does very well over here. He is the best spinner of the world and if I can learn off him then so good," Lyon told reporters. "It's finally very satisfying to get some rewards for the hard work that you put in," said Lyon, also giving credit to former Victoria wicketkeeper Darren Berry and Australia spin consultant John Davison, with whom he has worked at different phases during his career. This was the third successive time in the four-match series that the world's number one Test side failed as a batting unit after they scored 105 and 107 during their opening loss. But the pitch in Bangalore, which has an average first innings score of 451 in the last seven Tests, seemed to have no demons like the turning track in Pune that was rated poor by the match referee. Lyon struck shortly after lunch to get Kohli trapped lbw for 12, as the batsman once again offered no shot to an Australian spinner. He was bowled by left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe in the first Test. "Interesting wicket. It's what we expected over here. We knew we weren't going to have much grass on the wicket," said Lyon, who bettered his previous best of 7-94 at Delhi in 2013. "I didn't expect so many cracks on day one but they're there. I'll reassess the wicket after both teams bat on it," he added. Kohli's prized scalp Kohli, who had a rare flop in Pune with scores of 0 and 13, faltered again after choosing to pad up Lyon's off-spin that headed straight onto the stumps and was adjudged lbw. Kohli, who was bowled by left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe in the second innings of the first Test, wasted a review as the replays agreed with the umpires call and the star batsman walked back with pin drop silence at the ground. "He is one of the best players of the world. To take his wicket today was exceptional but we know it's a long series. We expect him to bounce back," said Lyon. Earlier pacemen Mitchell Starc, who got opener Abhinav Mukund for nought, and Josh Hazlewood bowled probing spells to rattle the Indian batting early in the first session. Rahul, who has survived two dropped catches on 30 and 61 at his home venue, did grind his way against the Aussie attack but got little support from the other end. Rahul, who recorded his third Test fifty in his 15th match, finally got out to Lyon. The batsman injured his shoulder during an ugly slog against Steve O'Keefe in the latter part of his innings. Rahul's 61-run second wicket stand with Cheteshwar Pujara (17) seemed to be the only bit of resistance in the Indian batting. Karun Nair also contributed with 26. "Like I said, the cracks are opening up and it's only getting harder to bat on this wicket," said Rahul of the Bangalore track. Rahul also backed Ashwin, the world's top Test bowler, to come back hard against the Australian batsmen on the second day. "We know Ash (Ashwin) is a top class bowler and once he gets a couple of wickets and gets into that rhythm then he is going to run through the Australian batting line-up, which we are very confident of," he said. (AFP)

Nathan Lyon's eight-for floors India in 2nd Test

Hungary and Portugal reached the Euro 2016 knockout stages after a rip-roaring 3-3 draw in which Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice and became the first player to score at four European Championship finals on Wednesday 
 
The Portuguese came from behind three times as Ronaldo, who also set a tournament record of 17 appearances, finally rediscovered his touch to help Portugal make the last 16, where they will meet Croatia in Lens on Saturday. 
 
Group F winners Hungary finished above Iceland, who also qualified after a last-gasp 2-1 win over Austria in Paris, and third-placed Portugal. 
 
Hungary will play the Group E runners-up, which will be decided later on Wednesday between Belgium, Sweden and Ireland, while Iceland will face England. 
 
Ronaldo equalised twice in the second half after Zoltan Gera&#39;s early strike was cancelled out by Nani just before the break. Hungary captain Balazs Dzsudzsak had twice put his side ahead before Ronaldo burst into life with a double strike. 
 
(Reuters)

Ronaldo became the first player to score at four European championship finals in his 17th match in a Euro tournament

Hungary and Portugal reached the Euro 2016 knockout stages after a rip-roaring 3-3 draw in which Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice and became the first player to score at four European Championship finals on Wednesday The Portuguese came from behind three times as Ronaldo, who also set a tournament record of 17 appearances, finally rediscovered his touch to help Portugal make the last 16, where they will meet Croatia in Lens on Saturday. Group F winners Hungary finished above Iceland, who also qualified after a last-gasp 2-1 win over Austria in Paris, and third-placed Portugal. Hungary will play the Group E runners-up, which will be decided later on Wednesday between Belgium, Sweden and Ireland, while Iceland will face England. Ronaldo equalised twice in the second half after Zoltan Gera's early strike was cancelled out by Nani just before the break. Hungary captain Balazs Dzsudzsak had twice put his side ahead before Ronaldo burst into life with a double strike. (Reuters)

Hungary and Portugal reach knockout stages after thrilling 3-3 draw

It will be virgin territory for Wales when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals yet their opponents could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as they step on to the pitch in Lyon today. 
 
This will be Portugal&#39;s fourth semi-final in the last five editions of the competition stretching back to 2000, but for all their success in reaching the latter stages of the tournament, there has been little glory along the way. 
 
Only once have they overcome the last-four hurdle and then they were beaten in the final by Greece as hosts at Euro 2004. 
 
If their defeat in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the loss at the Euros in 1984 are taken into account, they are becoming all too familiar with the pitfalls of this stage of major tournaments. 
 
Portugal&#39;s conquerors in their recent last-four clashes have included football powerhouses France, at Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 2006, and Spain at Euro 2012. 
 
If they lose to Wales, playing their first major tournament in 58 years and their first ever semi-final, it would be a devastating blow. 
 
Yet Wales are arguably the form team coming into the match. 
 
Chris Coleman&#39;s side have revelled in their underdog status to win their group, which also included England, Russia and Slovakia, ease out British rivals Northern Ireland in the last 16 and sweep past heavy favourites Belgium in the quarters. 
 
Portugal are yet to win a match at the tournament inside 90 minutes, having drawn all three group games, beaten Croatia in extra time and squeezed past Poland on penalties. 
 
Things are yet to click for Portugal, and for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his team mates attacking shortcomings. 
 
Yet Portugal are unbeaten in 12 competitive internationals since Fernando Santos took over as coach at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. 
 
With Ronaldo&#39;s Real Madrid team mate Pepe marshalling an increasingly assured defence, they will be tough to break down. 
 
Especially for a Wales side deprived of one of their most talented creative influences in midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who will be suspended after picking up a booking in the win over Belgium. 
 
While Gareth Bale has been Wales&#39;s attacking talisman, scoring three times to lift them out of their group, Ramsey has been arguably their most influential player, scoring one and producing four assists in the run to the last four. 
 
The match is likely to be billed as a contest between the two most expensive players in the world - Ronaldo, who will play a record third European Championship semi-final, and his Real Madrid team mate Bale. 
 
Perhaps ominously for Wales, Ronaldo has netted twice in each of his last two games in Lyon for club and country. 
 
(Reuters)

Things are yet to click for the Portuguese and their captain Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his teammates' shortcomings

It will be virgin territory for Wales when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals yet their opponents could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as they step on to the pitch in Lyon today. This will be Portugal's fourth semi-final in the last five editions of the competition stretching back to 2000, but for all their success in reaching the latter stages of the tournament, there has been little glory along the way. Only once have they overcome the last-four hurdle and then they were beaten in the final by Greece as hosts at Euro 2004. If their defeat in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the loss at the Euros in 1984 are taken into account, they are becoming all too familiar with the pitfalls of this stage of major tournaments. Portugal's conquerors in their recent last-four clashes have included football powerhouses France, at Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 2006, and Spain at Euro 2012. If they lose to Wales, playing their first major tournament in 58 years and their first ever semi-final, it would be a devastating blow. Yet Wales are arguably the form team coming into the match. Chris Coleman's side have revelled in their underdog status to win their group, which also included England, Russia and Slovakia, ease out British rivals Northern Ireland in the last 16 and sweep past heavy favourites Belgium in the quarters. Portugal are yet to win a match at the tournament inside 90 minutes, having drawn all three group games, beaten Croatia in extra time and squeezed past Poland on penalties. Things are yet to click for Portugal, and for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his team mates attacking shortcomings. Yet Portugal are unbeaten in 12 competitive internationals since Fernando Santos took over as coach at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. With Ronaldo's Real Madrid team mate Pepe marshalling an increasingly assured defence, they will be tough to break down. Especially for a Wales side deprived of one of their most talented creative influences in midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who will be suspended after picking up a booking in the win over Belgium. While Gareth Bale has been Wales's attacking talisman, scoring three times to lift them out of their group, Ramsey has been arguably their most influential player, scoring one and producing four assists in the run to the last four. The match is likely to be billed as a contest between the two most expensive players in the world - Ronaldo, who will play a record third European Championship semi-final, and his Real Madrid team mate Bale. Perhaps ominously for Wales, Ronaldo has netted twice in each of his last two games in Lyon for club and country. (Reuters)

In-form Wales take on Portugal

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