Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Saturday, 23 May 2026, 08:27 / Updated Saturday, 23 May 2026 08:28
Lens won the French Cup for the first time in the club's 120-year history after beating Nice 3-1 in the final.
The historic triumph comes at the end of a magnificent season for Lens, which put pressure on PSG in the title fight until the end of the championship. Lens finished the Ligue 1 season in 2nd place, 6 points behind PSG, thus securing their presence in next season's Champions League.
Lens won the French Cup for the first time
The match started cautiously, but Lens were the first team to seriously threaten. In the 13th minute, Allan Saint-Maximin shot powerfully from the edge of the box, but the ball went just over the crossbar. On the other side, Eli Wahi missed a big chance, failing to capitalize from an ideal position from close range.
As the first half progressed, Lens became more and more concrete. Saint-Maximin dribbled past the keeper and was in a great position, but his shot was practically blocked off the goal line. Meanwhile, Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser excelled with splendid saves from Sofiane Diop and Dante's shots.
Nice's goal was finally rattled in the 25th minute. Mathieu Udol served Florian Thauvin superbly in the box and the experienced striker, with a precise left-footed shot from around 15 yards, beat Maxime Dupe to open the scoring.
Lens doubled their lead at an ideal moment, just before the break. After a corner from Thauvin, Odsonne Edouard jumped highest and his header, with a slight deflection, found its way behind the Nice goalkeeper.
However, Nice got back into the game in extra time of the first half. After a corner taken by Jonathan Clauss, Djibril Coulibaly reduced the difference with a powerful header.
The Cote d'Azur side came close to leveling just over an hour into the game when Antoine Mendy hit the crossbar from a cross.
In the 78th minute, Abdallah Sima was at his best in the box and with the toe of his boot he pushed the ball past the oncoming Dupe and it went behind the goal line to make it 3-1.
Nice tried to come back until the end, and the reserve Kevin Carlos hit the bar, but the score did not change.
Lens thus won the French Cup for the first time in the club's history and ended one of the best seasons in the club's recent history in magnificent fashion.
