Orban ready to go again after pre-season goal

Lyon forward, Gift Orban, will hope to begin making statements in France in the 2024/25 season after scoring for the French side during their 7-0 thrashing of Chassieu Décines in their first pre-season season game on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Orban scored the second goal of the encounter from the penalty spot, expertly locating the top corner with his kick and giving the goalkeeper no chance after Johan Lepenant had opened the scoring.

Further goals from Lepenant, Perret, Baldé, and Molebe (brace) made it a comfortable evening for Lyon.

Buoyed by his performance in the emphatic win, Orban hopes it is the start of an excellent campaign for him as he shared images of the games with the caption, “We back. Ready to go again.”

Lyon’s next pre-season assignment is against Austrian topflight side, WSG Tirol on Friday.

The former KAA Gent star endured a difficult first six months in Lyon after joining for €12m in January.

Orban scored only three goals in 16 appearances and struggled to find the form that made him the talk of the town in Belgium.

Thankfully, Lyon overcame a terrible start to the season to finish sixth in Ligue 1 and qualify for the Europa League.

Orban, meanwhile, was a revelation for Gent in the first half of last season in Europe, netting five goals in five Europa Conference League games.

The 21-year-old also holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in UEFA club competitions, breaking the previous record of six minutes and 12 seconds held by Mohammed Salah in the Champions League.

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