Two late goals from Seydou Doumbia cost Lille dearly in their Group B opener as CSKA Moscow snatched a 2-2 draw at the home of the French champions. The Ivorian striker stole the point after Moussa Sow and Beno�t Pedretti had scored for Lille either side of the interval.
Lille, in their first Champions League game since the 2006-07 season, dominated and played the kind of free-flowing football that led them to the Ligue 1 title last season, but they were too shaky in the closing stages. They next travel to Trabzonspor, who beat Internazionale 1-0 at the San Siro, in two weeks' time.
"After our second goal we played too cautiously," Pedretti said. "We are learning, but it's a bad result. Next time we'll have to be good for 90 minutes, not just 70."
Although they were without the injured centre back Aur�lien Chedjou and forward Dimitri Payet, Lille got off to a lively start, with the Belgian prodigy Eden Hazard proving to be a constant threat.
Sow blew a couple of clear chances after 20 minutes, when he skied a close-range attempt over the bar before missing the target after dribbling past the goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov.
Using a cautious approach, CSKA banked on counterattacks and came close eight minutes before the interval, when Aleksandrs Caunas's shot from inside the box went just wide.
Hazard was then denied by Gabulov, who pulled off a great save, but he was helpless when Sow found the back of the net with a backheeled effort from a Pedretti cross on the stroke of half?time.
Lille continued their dominance after the interval but CSKA were dangerous on the break as a Zoran Tosic attempt smashed against Micka�l Landreau's right post in the 55th minute after a quick counterattack. Two minutes later, however, Pedretti connected with a clever pass from Florent Balmont and unleashed a shot into the top corner.
Lille then sat back and paid the price as Doumbia first overpowered David Rozehnal in the box and fired past Landreau in the 72nd minute. He did it again in the last minute, too, bursting into the area to equalise with a powerful shot that went into Landreau's top right corner.
Joe Cole, on loan from Liverpool, came off the bench in the 77th minute and had a chance to hand Lille a last-gasp victory but his angled shot was blocked by Gabulov ? and the stunned home players left the pitch with their heads down.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/14/lille-cska-moscow-champions-league
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