Coupe de France
Thauvin inspires Lens to maiden French Cup title
Lens claimed its first Coupe de France title with a 3-1 victory over Nice after Florian Thauvin scored one goal and set up another to help land the trophy at Stade de France.… Show More
Lens claimed its first Coupe de France title with a 3-1 victory over Nice after Florian Thauvin scored one goal and set up another to help land the trophy at Stade de France.
Thauvin, a 2018 FIFA World Cup-winner omitted from France's squad for next month's finals, opened the scoring before his perfect corner was headed in by Odsonne Edouard for Lens' second goal.
Seventeen-year-old Djibril Coulibaly pulled one back for Nice on the stroke of half-time.
Lens' second-half substitute Abdallah Sima sealed the victory with 12 minutes remaining, sparking wild celebrations among the 50,000 Lens fans, who travelled to Paris hoping to see their club claim a first trophy since the 1999 Coupe de la Ligue.
The triumph capped a remarkable season for Lens, whose only top-flight title came in 1998 and which finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 this season.
Nice, meanwhile, faces Ligue 2 side St Etienne on 27 May (AEST) and 29 in a two-legged play-off to try and preserve its top-flight status.
After a shaky start from both sides, Lens, which had Robin Risser to thank for two spectacular saves, took the lead in the 25th minute when Thauvin collected Matthieu Udol’s cross in the area and found the net with a clinical left-footed effort.
The Northerners doubled their lead in the 42nd with Edouard beating Maxime Dupe with a header from Thauvin’s corner.
Coulibaly, 17, reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time, heading home a Jonathan Clauss corner.
Nice came close to levelling on the hour, but Antoine Mendy's header crashed off the underside of the crossbar.
Lens added a third in the 78th minute as Sima, who had replaced Edouard 12 minutes earlier, outmuscled two Nice defenders to beat Dupe with a low shot for his fifth goal in six appearances in the competition.
Nice hit the woodwork again late in the game, Kevin Carlos's bullet header beating Risser but not the post, which was on Lens' side as it saw out the rest of the match to claim an historic victory for the club.
Lens boss Pierre Sage's positive work with Lens, which finished eighth prior to his arrival last year, has earned him plenty of admiration.
But, at least for the time being, he appears content at the club.
Asked about his contract situation after the Coupe de France win, Sage said: "There is no reason for it to change. I must admit that there are a lot of contacts.
"But after that, I'm under contract, but I'm going to try to honour it. I'm very happy at this club."
On Lens's victory, he added: "Winning this cup is the culmination of a magnificent year.
"We could have expected even more, but in any case, the good thing is that now we know we can be ambitious."
Having registered a goal and an assist in the final, Thauvin has been involved in 16 goals across all competitions since the start of February - nine goals and seven assists. No French player from Europe's top five leagues has fared better in that period.
The winger, who was omitted from France's 2026 FIFA World Cup squad earlier this week, said of the victory: "It's historic, extraordinary. We had a remarkable season.
"We were keen to make history for the club. To do that, we had to win a trophy, and that's what we managed to do.
"The supporters came to create a fiery atmosphere. We wanted to bring the cup home at all costs.
"There is never an easy match. We won but Nice put us in difficulty. I will give my support to Nice. We wish them a good end to the season.
"I feel proud. We managed to make people proud. Everyone has put in their qualities, it's as a team that you win a trophy."
