Lyon ease past Quevilly to win French Cup

Lisandro scored the only goal as Olympique Lyonnais claimed their fifth French Cup at the expense of third-tier US Quevilly at the Stade de France.

Rémi Garde's side were looking to erase the memory of their French League Cup defeat to Olympique de Marseille two weeks ago, while Quevilly were appearing in their first French Cup final since 1927. Unsurprisingly, the Ligue 1 side dominated possession and squandered numerous opportunities before Lisandro's clincher.

Lyon created the first meaningful chance of the game, but Lisandro's strike came back off a post. Régis Brouard's charges competed valiantly early on but they had Frédéric Weis to thank for keeping the score goalless when the defender cleared Alexandre Lacazette's effort off the line. However, Lyon made their dominance count on 27 minutes when Lisandro coolly steered Lacazette's deft centre beyond the goalkeeper.

Quevilly came out with renewed vigour after the break and almost restored parity when Anthony Laup's effort was tipped on to the crossbar by an outstretched Hugo Lloris. Otherwise, the team that eliminated Marseille and Stade Rennais FC on their way to the final struggled to impose themselves in a half of few chances as Lyon held on.

Afterwards, Garde expressed his delight at the cup triumph. "It was difficult and I want to congratulate them because they played with a good spirit," he said. "It will take me time to realise what we have just done. It was a very good performance and it's really special for a club to win the French Cup.

"We were not too fresh physically but the whole squad really wanted the cup. I'm proud to have brought this trophy to the club but I'm not alone. This is a victory for the whole club."

On the other hand, Quevilly coach Brouard was left to reflect on a memorable cup run. "I'm extremely proud of my players; it wasn't easy," he said. "The first half was difficult as Lyon had a lot of possession. We realised the technical difference between them and us. We used the ball better in second half so I'm not disappointed, just frustrated. Lyon deserve their victory and well done to them.

"Cris came to see us at the end of the game to offer us the chance to lift the cup with them, which I thought was a nice gesture. There is no reason to be sad or disappointed. We did what we could. I'll remember this night fondly and I'll always remember our supporters."