Thauvin inspires Lens to maiden French Cup title with win over Nice

Lens won the French Cup for the first time in their history with a 3-1 victory over Nice in the final at the Stade de France on Friday.

Florian Thauvin, a member of the France squad that won the World Cup in 2018, scored one goal and set up another for Odsonne Edouard as Lens found themselves 2-0 ahead late in the first half.

Teenager Djibril Coulibaly pulled one back for Nice with his first senior goal just before the interval and they hit the woodwork twice in the second half.

But Lens made sure of the win through substitute Abdallah Sima, who poked home in the 78th minute to spark joyous celebrations.

The triumph caps a superb campaign for the club from northern France, who under new coach Pierre Sage finished second in Ligue 1 to a dominant Paris Saint-Germain and qualified for next season’s Champions League as a result.

Lens had never previously won the French Cup despite reaching the final three times, most recently in 1998 — that year they won the league title for the only time in their history.

“It is historic, extraordinary,” star performer Thauvin told broadcaster France 2.

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

The vast majority of the near-capacity crowd inside the 80,000-seat Stade de France were supporting Lens, with many disillusioned Nice fans not attending.

Defeat for Nice adds to their misery in a difficult season which is not yet over — they finished third-bottom in Ligue 1 and must therefore win a two-legged play-off next week against second-tier Saint-Etienne in order to secure their top-flight status.

The 33-year-old Thauvin narrowly missed out on a place in the France squad for the upcoming World Cup but he seemed determined to put that disapppointment behind him as the ex-Newcastle United forward fired in a fine opener on 25 minutes.

He then set up the second with a corner that was headed home by former Celtic striker Edouard -- both players end the season with 14 goals.

Coulibaly headed Nice back into the game but Antoine Mendy’s effort which hit the bar shortly after the break proved a turning point.

Instead of drawing level, Nice ended up falling further behind when Senegalese forward Sima got on the end of a header back towards his own goal by veteran Brazilian defender Dante, and stabbed in.

Lens are the fifth different winners of the French Cup in the last eight editions, with Rennes, Nantes and Toulouse also lifting the trophy in that time, as well as PSG.

Agence France-Presse