Lens lift first French Cup in 119-year history with 3-1 win over Nice in Saint-Denis
Lens beat Nice 3-1 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis to lift the first Coupe de France in their 119-year history. Two-thirds of the 78,000-seat stadium was painted red and yellow, and supporters carried the 'Marseillaise lensoise' chant from Bollaert-Delelis through to the capital.
Nice, the nominal home side in the final, struck first. In the 12th minute, Sofiane Diop met a Jérémie Boga corner with a header that flicked past Lens keeper Brice Samba to make it 1-0. The cup looked to be heading south. But Lens turned the match in the opening ten minutes of the second half. In the 51st, Andy Diouf's near-post drag-back from a corner found Florian Thauvin from roughly six yards, and the striker's diving touch deflected in off the post.
Five minutes later the goal that would prove decisive arrived. Thauvin, working between the lines, found Wesley Saïd, who slipped Diouf in behind on the left. Diouf's low effort beat keeper Marcin Bulka through the gap. Nice pressed in response, but in the 84th minute a probing through ball from substitute Adrien Thomasson released Saïd, who rounded Bulka and slotted home for 3-1 at the Stade de France.
The trophy was the first major honour for 41-year-old manager Will Still. The Anglo-Belgian coach had left Stade de Reims for Lens in February 2024 with the club battling against relegation; in a season and a half he steered them into a European qualification spot and onto a historic cup victory. On the touchline after the final whistle he said: 'This club and these supporters got the place in history they deserved. Bollaert can sleep easier now.'
For Florian Thauvin, the final was the apex of a career rebuild after his departure from Marseille. The 33-year-old, who joined Lens on a free transfer last summer after stints at Tigres and Udinese, finished the season with 14 goals and 11 assists. 'I lifted a cup at Marseille, but this is different. This is one we won, for these supporters,' he said.
In the Nice camp, manager Franck Haise reflected: 'We controlled the first half. In the second, Lens won the match. Diouf's physical power and a refreshed Saïd cut us open.' Fifth-place Nice still qualify for the Europa League, but the cup defeat was read as a test of Haise's reshaping plan.
Lens's victory secured them not only a Champions League qualifying round next season but also a place in the Trophée des Champions against Ligue 1 champions Lille, who finished ahead of Marseille. The Trophée match is scheduled for 1 September in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. The French Football Federation will formally confirm the fixture tomorrow.
For Lens, the cup was the club's second appearance in a Coupe de France final, after defeat to Marseille in the 2008-09 final. Aside from Coupe Charles Drago wins in 1948 and 1975 and the sole Ligue 1 title in 1997-98, the club's trophy cabinet has been dominated by second-tier honours. At Saturday's open-top parade, mayor Sylvain Robert called the team 'the pride of northern France and the old coal country'.
Keeping the core of the squad together is the priority going forward. Andy Diouf is being courted by Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid, while Thauvin confirmed talks are underway over an extension to 2027. Sporting director Jean-Louis Leca said: 'The cup should not speed up the reshaping. On the contrary, we'll protect this squad and build around it.'
Fan coaches were on the road back to Pas-de-Calais hours after the final, and an estimated 20,000 people lined the streets of Lens to paint the town red and yellow. For a club that had waited 119 years for this cup, summer will be filled with new targets: a pre-season camp starting 17 July and the Trophée fixture in Tunis in early September.