A double from the forward Alexandre Lacazette allowed the Olympique Lyonnais returned, twelve years later, to the Cup final, after winning 3-0 this Tuesday against a Valenciennesbottom of the French Second Division, who could only keep pace with the Lyon team in the first half.
Forty-five minutes in which Ahmed Kantari’s men, who have won just two games in the league championship, dreamed of causing a surprise after seeing how in the 38th minute Malian striker Sirine Doucouré was beaten the local goalkeeper, the Brazilian Lucas Perri.
A goal that did not go up on the scoreboard when the referee pointed out, after reviewing the video images, a previous foul by Anthony Knockaert on the Irish centre-back of Olympia de Lyon, Jake O’Brien.
A fear that seemed certain to wake up Pierre Sage’s team, who despite clearly dominating the first half, could hardly create a clear scoring chance.
In contrast to what happened at the start of the second period where the locals took almost twelve minutes to decisively decide the contest with a double Alexandre Lacazette.
If in the 51st minute the captain of ‘Les Gones’ opened the scoring by converting the penalty awarded to him, six minutes later, in the 57th, Lacazette put Lyon within a feet and a half of the final by sending to the nets ( 2 -0) a center from the Algerian Said Benrahma.
A point that did not dampen the ambition of the locals sealed their place in the Cup final, where they will face the winner of the semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Stade Reims this Wednesday, with a Nigerian goal. Gift Orban who signed the final 3-0 in the 75th minute.
Source: La Verdad

I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.