Arguably no Irish footballer has had a season as successful as Lyon's Jake O'Brien.
Surely no Irish footballer has had a season as eventful as the Corkman.
The 23-year-old centreback joined the French giants after a loan spell in Belgium with Molenbeek at a time when the club was in complete crisis. As tLyon seemed to teeter towards relegation, O'Brien established himself as a pillar in their defence and even was their top scorer for awhile.
An unlikely renaissance followed and Lyon finished the season by qualifying for the Europa League and reaching tonight's Coupe de France final in Lille. Tonight, O'Brien found himself tasked with the job of slowing Kylian Mbappe and PSG.
The French Cup final is obviously a huge occasion and before kickoff, O'Brien was introduced to French president Emmanuel Macron.
They shared a great moment, as Macron learned of O'Brien's journey with the club.
"Jake O'Brien. He did a two week trial, to see if he was good enough and now he's a star."
"Jake O'Brien. He did a two week trial, to see if he was good enough and now he's a star."
Jake O'Brien up against Mbappe tonight. What a man #CCFC84 🤣🤣 ☘️ pic.twitter.com/taJTXAX1vQ— Wayne (@1FCKobe) May 25, 2024
They shared a handshake and the Macron wished him a good match.
None of this seemed vaguely plausible twelve months ago, but it's a testament to O'Brien's ability that he's established himself at this level. His rise at Lyon is nearly as unbelievable as Lyon's Lazarus act this season. As he told the Guardian this week:
“Is it one of the great comeback stories? Definitely. It’s been a crazy, very emotional season. We were given a 0% chance of getting out of it and we did – and didn’t just get out of it, we got Europa League as well.”
Jake O'Brien in the French Cup final
Like Leverkusen in Dublin on Wednesday, a fairy tale end to the season was not part of the script.
The final was overshadowed by fears of violence between both supporters. Ahead of kickoff, two buses that had carried Lyon supporters to the match were set ablaze as supporters from both clubs clashed.
Two buses carrying Lyon fans to tonight’s Coupe de France final against PSG in Lille tonight caught fire under a motorway toll booth after clashes between both sets of fans.
The final had been classified as a high-risk event by the authorities. pic.twitter.com/wG99pqh7OI— Get French Football News (@GFFN) May 25, 2024
O'Brien was named to start at centreback, unsurprisingly.
PSG got out to an early lead with a 22nd minute goal from Ousmane Dembele. O'Brien did well to stop Fabian Ruiz's shot on goal but Ruiz parried in the rebound to make 2-0.
¡GOOOOOOOOL DEL PSG! 🔵🔴
🔥 Fabián Ruiz pone el segundo tanto al minuto 33 del primer tiempo.@PSG_inside 2️⃣-0️⃣ @OL
🎙️: @Alex6_Oficial, @raulsarmiento, @husseinforzan y @cesarmartinezmx.#TodoEsPosible #CoupeDeFrance pic.twitter.com/3lSeNFpCIz— Hi! Sports TV (@HiSportsTV) May 25, 2024
However O'Brien would make things interesting in the second half with an outstanding headed goal.
Jake O'Brien has just become the first Youghal man to score in a Coupe de France final!🥐
Bucket list day for the Corkman
-shake hands with Macron🤝
-score a header🤯pic.twitter.com/RwEYx6bjm6— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) May 25, 2024
