Perrin helps restore Lyon's pride

A 3-1 win at FC Girondins de Bordeaux represented a "fantastic present" for Alain Perrin as the birthday boy helped Olympique Lyonnais put their woes behind them.

Perfect gift
Having made their worst-ever start in the UEFA Champions League, successive 3-0 defeats in their opening games against FC Barcelona and Rangers FC, the perennial French champions looked to have lost some of their lustre. But as new coach Perrin celebrated his 51st birthday on Sunday, his side regained their composure in Bordeaux. "This win was a fantastic present," said the coach.

Major force
While their form in Europe has deserted them, Lyon remain the predominant force in French football and top the table with 22 points from ten games - ahead of the average of 21.4 points after ten games which has seen them take the title in the last five seasons.

Benzema's tenth
Juninho Pernambucano celebrated his resurgent form by setting up the opener for fellow Brazilian Anderson in the fifth minute while his free-kick was headed in by Kim Källström (60) for Lyon's third. In between those efforts, young homegrown forwards Hatem Ben Arfa and Karim Benzema combined in a lightning-quick move to give Benzema (23) his tenth league goal of the season.

'Still the best'
Before the game Bordeaux could have leapfrogged Lyon into top spot in Ligue 1 but coach Laurent Blanc was gracious in defeat. "We went down to a stronger team," he said. "We thought they might be nervous in the opening minutes after their Champions League setbacks but they scored quickly and then gave us a football lesson. Lyon are still the best team in Ligue 1."

Rangers atonement
Lyon have not lost at Bordeaux since 1999 and have won their last five league games at the Stade Chaban-Delmas. For Perrin, victory partly made up for their 3-0 home defeat by Rangers last week. "Bordeaux are better than Rangers but we approached that game wrong," he said. "After losing at Barcelona, we wanted to attack to make up for it. That is exactly why Rangers played on the counterattack."

'The standard'
The Rangers loss was Lyon's heaviest home reverse in the UEFA Champions League and left president Jean-Michel Aulas demanding "an explanation of what happened". Perrin's assistant Christophe Galtier feels Lyon have now made the appropriate response. "We decided to adopt a more conservative approach," he said. "This game in Bordeaux will set the standard for the rest of the season."