Lyon cancel out Chornomorets threat

A goalless draw represented a decent return for both sides, with neither FC Chornomorets Odesa nor Olympique Lyonnais dropping their guard too much in their UEFA Europa League round of 32 opener in Ukraine.

Playing their first competitive game since 12 December, Chornomorets may not have been at their sharpest, and Olexiy Antonov and Ivan Bobko might both be feeling they could have caused visiting goalkeeper Rémy Vercoutre more problems. However, Lyon's Steed Malbranque will have similar sentiments after passing up perhaps the best chance of the match midway through the first half.

Direct and aggressive from the off, Chornomorets looked to take route one to the Lyon goal, with Vercoutre smartly off his line to fend away an Antonov effort after a long ball into the box. The visitors from France showed a little more finesse, and should have gone ahead when a counterattack left the hosts off balance, but goalkeeper Yevhen Past made himself big to charge down Malbranque's effort.

Shots on goal were rare thereafter; Antonov skied a free-kick from the edge of the area, before his overhead scuff drew a useful save from Vercoutre who scooped the ball wide as it bounced toward goal. The Lyon No1 was called on again just after the restart, racing out to meet Bobko as he hared through, but the midfielder's attempt spun across the face of goal and wide.

Jimmy Briand drew a save from Past from an unlikely angle, and at the other end Pablo Fontanello blasted over as the Lyon defence momentarily opened up for him in the closing minutes. Chornomorets substitute Anatoliy Didenko then planted a header wide at the death.