Lyon 7 - 2 Werder Bremen

Lyon 7-2 Werder Bremen

Updated: March 8, 2005, 9:41 PM UK

LYON, March 8 (Champions League) - Sylvain Wiltord netted a hat-trick as Lyon made the most of Werder Bremen's policy of all-out attack to ruthlessly dump the German side out of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg at the Weser Stadion, Bremen had little option but to take the game to the three-time defending Ligue 1 champions in the return.

But it was a tactic which left them hopelessly exposed and Paul Le Guen's side made the most of the space afforded to them to storm into the last eight for the second season in succession.

Mickael Essien scored twice for the hosts while Florent Malouda and Jeremy Berthod also got their names on the scoresheet.

Johan Micoud and Valerien Ismael netted Bremen's consolations and although the visitors' application cannot be questioned, they were hopelessly outclassed as Lyon sounded out a warning to the rest of Europe.

The build-up to the game had centred around the fact Bremen had come back from a 3-0 deficit against Lyon to advance in the 1999 UEFA Cup.

But any hope Thomas Schaaf's side retained beforehand had evaporated by half-time.

Lyon were irresistible in the opening half hour as they put the tie beyond the reach of their German opponents.

Wiltord opened the scoring after eight minutes of incessant pressure from the hosts.

Malouda's through ball picked out Wiltord and the former Arsenal striker made no mistake with a crisp low finish past Andreas Reinke.

Nelson Valdez came close to an equaliser after 17 minutes but, seconds later, Lyon swept up the other end to double their advantage.

Sidney Govou's pass from the right-hand side was dummied by Wiltord and, from the edge of the box, Essien swept the ball past Reinke with his left-foot.

Bremen were shell-shocked.

They almost got one back when Ismael's header crashed against the bar but it was a rare foray forward from Schaaf's men.

With the Stade Gerland crowd lapping up Lyon's display, the home favourites attacked with purpose and flair.

And Essien, touted as a big-money summer move to the Premiership or Serie A, added Lyon's third after 30 minutes.

A series of deflections led to the ball going loose in midfield. Other players stood by and watched but Ghana international Essien took control of the situation with a positive touch which took him clear of the Bremen defence.

Reinke came out to meet him but Essien simply pushed the ball to one side before slipping it into the empty net.

Despite being outplayed, Bremen had continued to pile forward in the opening half hour.

And they got their reward when a low cross from the left was only partially cleared by Cris, and French international Micoud fired past Gregory Coupet.

The game could have taken a further twist in an entertaining first half when Ivan Klasnic's low shot was cleared off the line four minutes later.

As it was, Lyon rode the brief storm and came again at the start of the second half.

Wiltord made it 4-1 when he ran on to Govou's inch-perfect pass and lifted the ball over Reinke.

Bremen reduced the arrears a minute later when Fabian Ernst went down under the challenge of Lamine Diatta and Ismael netted from the spot.

The hosts swept up the other end immediately and only a fine block from Reinke prevented Essien from grabbing his hat-trick.

It mattered little to the hosts, though, as Malouda netted the goal his all-action performance deserved when he cut in from the left and fired a low drive inside Reinke's near post.

Essien may have missed out on a treble but Wiltord wasn't willing to do the same and his landmark goal came after 64 minutes when he fired Govou's right-wing cross high into the net.

Berthod capped an astonishing evening with Lyon's seventh with 10 minutes remaining.

Frank Fahrenhorst needlessly pushed substitute Nilmar and Berthod slotted home the resulting penalty.