Talented Nigerian forward Gift Orban was on the score-sheet as Olympique Lyonnais booked their place in the Coupe de France final for the first time since 2012.
On a night the Coupe de France stood as the club’s only route to Europe next season, Lyon made their pedigree count as they dispatched Ligue 2 side Valenciennes 3-0 on Tuesday with all three goals coming in the second half.
After the first-half ended goalless, the hosts opened the scoring via the penalty box through Alexandre Lacazette to ease the home fans who had started to worry.
Ten minutes later, the former Arsenal man bagged his second of the game with some deft footwork inside the area from a Saïd Benrahman’s pass to create space for him to finish past Jean Louchet in goal for Valenciennes.
With less than a quarter of an hour left to play, substitutes Rayan Cherki and Gift Orban combined to put the icing on the cake for Lyon.
Cherki cut back a brilliant pass for Orban inside the box with the goal at his mercy, and the Super Eagles star didn’t miss, netting Lyon’s third goal and his second of the competition.
🇳🇬💫 Gift Orban scored Lyon’s 3rd goal of the night as they beat Valenciennes 3-0 to qualify for the Coupe de France final pic.twitter.com/hqnOrQbGuR
— Nigeria Football Weekly🦅🇳🇬 (@NFWPod) April 2, 2024
Gift Orban in the right path for Olympique Lyonnais
Gift Orban has enjoyed a steady rise in the last 20 months. The 21-year-old gained prominence last year when he joined Belgian club Gent from Norwegian second-division side FC Stabaek.
After arriving at the club in January 2023, Orban registered 15 goals in 16 appearances in the second half of the season for Gent.
The impressive performances for the Belgian side made Orban a transfer target with top European clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona showing interest. However, no deal was reached and Gent kept the player until this season.
The former Stabaek man registered three goals in 17 Belgium Jupiler League appearances this campaign. But despite his slow start to the season, Orban was able to seal a move to French Ligue 1 side Lyon in a deal worth €12million.
Photo by Icon Sport
At just 21 years of age, Orban’s career path looks very promising and the sky seems to be the limit for the Nigerian if he can find a strong footing in France like his fellow compatriot Terem Moffi.
Orban, who shared that his desire for scoring goals has been key to his move to Lyon, will be motivated to have a successful time with the French giants.
Although Orban has not hit the ground running at Lyon as he is yet to find the net after nine league games, he has scored twice now for the club in Coupe de France.
Orban will be looking forward to winning his first trophy in France when his side take to the field next in Coupe de France.
Lyon will face either Paris Saint Germain or Rennes in the final. The Parisiens will play Rennes on Wednesday night to decide who faces Lyon for the cup title.
