Exclusive: Lyon Hero Miralem Pjanic Ecstatic With The Biggest Goal Of His Career

Real Madrid lead Lyon 1-0 with 75 minutes played in the second leg of the round-of-16 clash at the Bernabeu. The tie is firmly poised and everyone in the stadium is tense. Delgado picks up a loose ball just inside the Blancos side of the field. He begins to run at the Madrid defence but they are waiting for him. Lisandro is the only Lyon player with him.

Then suddenly to Delgado’s right moving like lightning crashing into the area is the slight figure of Miralem Pjanic. Delgado finds Lisandro, who flicks it into the path of the speeding Pjanic, and in one breath, in one blink of an eye, the youngster unleashes a first time shot. Iker Casillas dives and the ball smashes into the back of the net. Hearts stop, there is a hushed silence. Total and utter disbelief reigns supreme in the Bernabeu with the exception of one tiny corner that belongs to the Lyon faithful whose cheers echo around the hollowed ground.

Miralem Pjanic was born in Zvornik on April 2, 1991. So slight is he in build, and so young looking, that if you passed him in the street you might just wonder which school he goes to.  But on Wednesday night Pjanic shot his way to fame and catapulted his team into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. For this tiny David knocked out one hefty Goliath.

"I am happy for me, for my team, my club and my family. This is the most important goal that I have ever scored," he stated. “We are now in the quarter-finals and maybe we can get all the way to the semis too."

The plaudits rightly belonged to Lyon after the match but they can but only count their lucky stars that they were not down by three goals at the half-time break. Such was the dominance of Real Madrid that they could have wrapped up the tie within the first 25 minutes and Pjanic was all too aware of that.

“It was very difficult for us in the first half. Especially with the supporters right behind Real Madrid. They created a very good ambience in the stadium. Then it became really difficult after they scored and they created so many chances.

"We knew that Madrid had to score and would like to score very early. So when they did it became really very hard for us. But we were good in our shape especially in the second half, and when I got the goal it was a very important moment for us."

The result is a sombre reflection on the paths of two completely different teams. After winning seven consecutive league titles, and threatening to take that domination into Europe, Lyon have faded. Bordeaux have emerged as the new powers in French football. By contrast, last summer’s heavy outlay by returning president Florentino Perez, shot Madrid back to the top of the charts as the team with the superstar names.

But despite over €250 million being spent on the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema et al, Madrid have been humbled at the same stage of the competition for the last six seasons running now. Yet despite this success against one of the favourites, Pjanic says that Lyon will get complacent in the next round.

"In the quarter-finals there are only good teams. For us to play a Manchester United, an Arsenal or a Bayern Munich is just the same. These will all be very difficult matches for us to play."

For Pjanic personally the season has been a triumphant one. Perhaps the only regret is that Bosnia and Herzegovina failed to reach the World Cup finals, falling to Portugal in the play-offs.

"Yes personally speaking it has been a very good season for me. But I hope and I want to be even better so that I can be at the top level. In training I learn a lot from the other players and Lyon is a very good club to be at for a player of my age."

Given the success the team has had in the Champions League, I asked Pjanic whether he thought that they were a better cup side than a league team?

"No it’s really important for us to also be good in the French League. We have to do better but the problem is that other clubs go very defensive against us. It's not like that in the Champion league."

As if to highlight the fact Pjanic looks at the weekend derby clash against bitter rivals St. Etienne.

"It’s a huge game for the club, for our supporters and for the players.  These are always tough matches. St. Etienne is a good team and they have a lot of quality. But we must first beat them and we are at home."

Become a fan of Goal.com International on Facebook! Just click onto Facebook.com/Goal to join the beautiful game's leading fan community..