Lens capped a spectacular season by winning the French Cup for the first time, with star striker Florian Thauvin scoring and making another in a 3-1 win over Nice in the final on Friday.
Lens matched Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 for large parts of the season but struggled to match its resources during the latter weeks of the campaign and finished second, six points behind.
Friday’s win at the Stade de France was a merited triumph for a side that under coach Pierre Sage mixed young prospects with experienced journeymen to great effect.
Thauvin scored the opener after 25 minutes — meaning he scored in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final — and Odsonne Édouard doubled Lens’ lead when he headed home Thauvin’s corner from the left three minutes before halftime.
Djibril Coulibaly pulled one back almost immediately for Nice but Abdallah Sima made sure the trophy was heading to the north of France when he muscled his way past Nice defenders to poke home for 3-1 with 12 minutes remaining.
The result was tough on Nice, which hit the woodwork twice, but perhaps no surprise after a woeful last few weeks of the season. Nice has not won in Ligue 1 since mid-March and ended the year in third-to-last place.
Its Ligue 1 status will be decided next week in a home-and-away promotion/relegation playoff against Saint-Étienne.
The final was notable for the numbered shirts worn by referee Jérôme Brisard as part of a campaign designed to foster respect for match officials.
Brisard wore No. 84 on his back, in reference to a poll that showed 84% of French respondents believe that “valuing referees means protecting sport.”
Match officials in other sports, including rugby and basketball, are slated to wear the same number in upcoming games.
