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The dream continues

To Lyon! Here's how an Irish supporter can get there by Sunday

With a direct flight from Dublin to Lyon no longer an option, we turn to other alternatives.

LAST NIGHT IS one that will go down in history for Irish soccer fans.

Whether you were at home, in your local or lucky enough to be in Lille, one thing’s for sure – we witnessed one of the greatest moments in Irish football history.

On the back of this remarkable win, the Boys in Green march on to Lyon with dreams and aspirations of knocking the hosts out of the tournament on their own home soil.

Ireland players celebrate at the final whistle The nation holds its breath as we hope for similar scenes on Sunday. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

So comes the important question – how does one get to Lyon for Sunday’s game against France?

Flight-wise, all Aer Lingus direct flights from Dublin to Lyon are sold out, meaning fans will have to take a more roundabout route to the eastern city.

One option is to fly to a nearby city, one being Geneva in Switzerland. You can do so tomorrow and return on Monday for the hefty price of nearly €850.

Inconveniently, all flights to Geneva are sold out on Saturday and Sunday’s flight wouldn’t have you in Lyon on time for kick-off.

Alternatively, you could ditch the direct flight and spend a layover somewhere along the way for a price somewhere between €500 and €700.

From Geneva, you can get a train for a reasonable price which takes two hours. Another idea would be to rent a car, and the drive takes about an hour and 45 minutes.

Nice, Marseilles and Paris are all other direct flight options – but keep in mind how expensive a flight to France at this time is, plus the added travelling to Lyon once you get there.

Planning a journey by train?

Flying to London and then taking the Eurostar from King’s Cross through Paris to Lyon will set you back about €200 one way.

For Irish fans lucky enough to have experienced last night’s win in person and following the Irish team to Lyon, TGV tickets start at roughly €75.

Ferrying your way could be another decent shout, but means that you’d have to drive eight and a half hours from Roscoff to Lyon. Irish Ferries from Roslare will cost you between €300 and €400, while you’ll have to wait for Tuesday to return.

Meanwhile, StenaLine have added options for Sunday’s match. The only available direct sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg departs this evening at 8.30pm and will see football fans arrive in France at 4.30pm tomorrow.  The price stands at €319 single for a car plus driver, with additional passengers costing €38 each per adult.

Alternative routes to France are via Stena Line’s Landbridge product which is available on all routes from Ireland (Dublin, Rosslare, Belfast) to Britain, with onward travel from Britain to Europe included in the price:

Options include Dover to Calais or Dunkirk for €148, Folkestone to Calais via the Eurotunnell for €183, and you can also sail to Roscoff, Cherbourg, Caen or St Malo) for €273.

So hit the road, take out a loan, do whatever it takes to get there. It’ll all be worth it come Sunday as the Irish take over Lyon and hope to shell shock the tournament hosts.

“What goes around comes around, baby” as Eamon Dunphy said last night.

The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!

‘We have all the motivation in the world, we have a team who loves playing for their country’

RTÉ or TV3? Here’s where you can watch Ireland v France and the rest of the last 16 games

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