Nigerian forward Gift Orban played a pivotal role in Lyon’s exhilarating 4-3 comeback victory over Strasbourg in the French league on Friday. His decisive performance, featuring two goals in the second half, secured Lyon’s first points of the season following two previous losses.
Orban, who had a challenging start to his Lyon career with only one goal in 17 league matches, seriously improved his record with this game-changing display. His efforts were particularly remarkable as they came during a dramatic turnaround at Groupama Stadium.
The match began with Lyon trailing after a defensive lapse allowed Strasbourg to score within the first three minutes. Corentin Tolisso managed to level the score just before halftime. However, Lyon fell behind again early in the second half, with goals from Andrey Santos and Emanuel Emegha putting Strasbourg back in the lead.
Ashley Maitland-Niles offered Lyon a glimmer of hope by pulling one back, making the score 3-2. Orban then took center stage, scoring twice in a span of nine minutes. His second goal, a precisely executed header, was particularly remarkable.
This victory propelled Lyon to 11th place in the standings, closing the gap to Strasbourg, who remain ahead by four points.