Karim Benzema scored against his former club Lyon to earn Real Madrid a 1-1 draw here on Tuesday, while Chelsea made an impressive 2-0 win over FC Copenhagen to hold a strong position to reach the Champions League quarterfinals.
Benzema put the visitors 1-0 up moments after coming on as a second-half substitute at a damp and chilly Stade Gerland, only for Bafetimbi Gomis to equalize seven minutes from time.
Gomis's late volley extended Lyon's remarkable unbeaten record against Real to seven matches, but Benzema's away goal makes Jose Mourinho's side slight favorites to progress ahead of the second leg in Madrid on March 16.
"I feel like I watched a real Champions League match: hard and well contested with very few clear chances due to the defensive rigor on both sides," said Real coach Mourinho.
"In the second half we managed to find spaces and, to begin with, we were closer to a second goal than Lyon were to an equalizer.
"But it sets things up well for the second leg, where we will hope to qualify in front of our supporters."
Lyon eliminated Real at the same stage of last season's competition and the nine-time European champions are bidding to end an unwelcome run that has seen them fall in the round of 16 for the last six seasons in a row.
Lyon, meanwhile, are seeking to build on their first ever semi-final appearance last year and coach Claude Puel admitted he was disappointed that Real had managed to breach his side's defence.
"At home, in the first leg, we would have preferred them not to score," he said. "It's a bit of a shame, especially because we played a great first half."
Having beaten Real in their three previous encounters on home turf, Lyon began the game in enterprising style, their five-man midfield smothering the visitors' attempts to play the ball through the middle.
Michel Bastos stabbed a shot over the Real crossbar from a tight angle on the right, Cris hooked wide from just inside the penalty area and Cesar Delgado had a penalty appeal turned down after an untidy foul by Sergio Ramos.
Angel di Maria belatedly called Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris into action with a weak low shot before the France number one was given slightly more to do by a stinging Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick.
It was not long before the hosts were back on the attack, however, and Gomis was guilty of a terrible miss in the 34th minute when he side-footed over an open goal after Iker Casillas spilled a cross from Bastos.
Lyon's re-emergence after half-time drew a thunderous roar from the home fans, but a reminder of Real's attacking threat was quick to arrive as the visitors struck the woodwork twice in a matter of minutes.
Ronaldo hit the far post with a dipping free-kick from a seemingly prohibitive angle on the left-hand side, before Ramos sent a header crashing against the crossbar from Mesut Ozil's in-swinging corner.
Ronaldo's free-kick will have a more lasting impact on the tie, however, as it was awarded for a foul by Bastos on Di Maria that earned the Brazilian a yellow card that rules him out of the return leg.
Another Ronaldo free-kick sparked controversy shortly beyond the hour, with the Portuguese adamant the ball had struck the arm of Yoann Gourcuff in the Lyon wall.
Benzema, who left Lyon for the Bernabeu in 2009, received a rapturous reception when he entered the fray but he silenced the crowd after barely a minute.
Receiving a pass from Ronaldo, he drove across the area in a horizontal line before keeping his cool to beat Lloris with a low shot that Cris vainly sought to keep out with a desperate goal-line lunge.
Lyon's proud unbeaten record against Real looked destined to come to an end until the 83rd minute, when Gomis atoned for his earlier miss by seizing upon a flick-on from a free-kick to volley into the bottom-left corner.
Chelsea's firepower
Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea celebrates after his second goal against FC Copenhagen during their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match at Parken stadium in Copenhagen. Chelsea won 2-0
After the misery of last weekend's FA Cup exit against Everton, Nicolas Anelka gave Blues boss Ancelotti some much-needed breathing space as his double-strike put Chelsea within touching distance of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Ancelotti opted to leave Didier Drogba on the bench as he played a 4-4-2 formation with Anelka and Torres spearheading the attack.
Anelka showed his class as he netted two clinical finishes to take his tally in Europe this season to seven goals in six games, while Torres went close to breaking his duck following his blockbuster move from Liverpool.
Anelka opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he pounced on a poor pass by former Chelsea winger Jesper Gronkjaer and drove home a fierce strike from the edge of the area.
The former Arsenal forward struck again in the 54th minute as he drilled Frank Lampard's pass into the bottom corner.
Drogba has been out of form lately but he remains a formidable option to have on the bench and Ancelotti insists the trio won't complain about being rotated to keep them fresh for an assault on the Champions League.
Asked if they were the best in Europe, Ancelotti said: "Yes, I think so. We want to maintain their fitness, but rotation could do them good with the Premier League and the Champions League.
"They are accepting my decisions without problems, and this is important. To have them available at the moment, it's important at this time of year.
"We have fantastic strikers. I have to make a decision about the games, to put them in or not.
"Didier played for two hours against Everton. Torres and Anelka were fresh and, together, they played well."
