Cork’s Jake O’Brien through to Coupe de France final with Lyon 

YOUGHAL'S Jake O’Brien’s fairytale season with Lyon continued with the French giants defeating Valenciennes 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.

Les Gones will now face PSG or Stade Rennais in the final on May 25th at the Stade de France.

The Youghal native played the full 90 minutes at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, and he was positioned in a back-four that also had World Cup winner Nicolás Tagliafico.

Former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette got two goals for the team, Gift Orban made sure of the win with fifteen minutes left to play.

O’Brien now has an opportunity to end his first year in France with a trophy, and a guaranteed place in Europe next season.

After a catastrophic start to the season, Lyon has produced a remarkable turnaround under coach Pierre Sage.

Lyon, which dominated French soccer during the 2000s, will have a chance to win its first piece of silverware since 2012. 

The defender – who came through the Cork City academy – has been a light in darkness since he moved to Lyon from Crystal Palace after a spell with the Rebel Army in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

O’Brien first run in the team was under Neale Fenn, with the defender breaking through during the team’s run to the final of the Munster Senior Cup in 2020.

The Eagles team in Premier League 2 was his temporary home after moving to England, and that led to a loan spell with Swindon Town. 

That was followed by a year with R.W.D. Molenbeek in the second tier of the Belgian football pyramid, and that ended with a league winners medal and promotion.

O’Brien’s move to Lyon was met with complaints by the supporters, who were keen to see big money signings and a push to get into the latter rounds of a European competition after the club reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2020.

The defender was a squad player at the start of the year, and he had to watch on as Lyon struggled for form and dropped to the bottom of Ligue 1. 

Les Gones did not win a game until the 12th of November, and O’Brien scored the only goal of that game against Rennes.

There was no instant burst of form, as the team went on to lose their next three games to Lille, Lens, and Marseille.

Lyon found form in the new year, and they have just one loss recorded since the end of January.

O’Brien has been central to this resurgence, and the defender’s work led to a call up to the Republic of Ireland senior team for the first time in March 2023.

The defender did not feature under John O’Shea in games against Belgium and Switzerland, and he returned to France for a home game with Stade de Reims.

Les Gones collected a point and continued a push for a place in the qualifiers for next season’s Conference League.