Lens beat Nice to win French Cup for the first time

PARIS: Lens claimed the French Cup for the first time in club history after defeating Nice 3-1 in the final at the Stade de France on Friday.

The victory completed an impressive season for the northern French side. Under new coach Pierre Sage, Lens finished second in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain and secured qualification for next season's Champions League. The cup success added another landmark to a campaign that has already been one of the most notable in the club's recent history.

Thauvin leads Lens in the final

Florian Thauvin played a central role in the win, scoring once and creating another goal as Lens established a 2-0 lead late in the first half. The 33-year-old, who was part of France's 2018 World Cup-winning squad, opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a well-taken strike.

He then delivered the corner from which former Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard headed in Lens' second. Both Thauvin and Edouard finished the season with 14 goals.

Speaking after the match, Thauvin described the occasion as a major moment for the club.

It is historic, extraordinary.

he told broadcaster France 2.

It has really been a remarkable season and we were all eager to make history for the club.

Nice respond but Lens finish strongly

Nice reduced the deficit just before half-time when teenager Djibril Coulibaly scored his first senior goal. The goal gave Nice hope going into the break, and they came close to levelling after the restart.

Antoine Mendy struck the bar shortly after half-time in what proved to be a key moment in the match. Nice also hit the woodwork twice in the second half, but were unable to find the equaliser.

Lens then moved further clear in the 78th minute. Substitute Abdallah Sima, the Senegalese forward, reacted after veteran Brazilian defender Dante headed the ball back towards his own goal, poking home to make it 3-1 and trigger celebrations among the Lens players and supporters.

Historic success for Lens

Lens had previously reached the French Cup final three times without winning the competition. Their most recent final appearance before this came in 1998, the same year they won the French league title for the only time.

The final was played in front of a near-capacity crowd at the 80,000-seat Stade de France, with most of those in attendance backing Lens. Many Nice supporters, disillusioned with their club's season, did not attend.

For Nice, the defeat added to an already difficult campaign. They finished third-bottom in Ligue 1 and must now win a two-legged play-off against second-tier Saint-Etienne next week to preserve their place in the top flight.

Lens also became the fifth different winners of the French Cup in the last eight editions. During that period, Rennes, Nantes, Toulouse and PSG have also lifted the trophy.

The club were set to continue celebrations late into the night, returning to the Stade Bollaert to meet supporters gathered there before an open-top bus parade scheduled for Saturday afternoon.