Lens ended a strong season by securing the French Cup for the first time, defeating Nice 3-1 in the final on Friday. Striker Florian Thauvin scored and assisted in the victory at the Stade de France.
Lens stayed close to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 for much of the year but finished second, six points behind. The cup win rewarded a squad that blended young talents and experienced players under coach Pierre Sage.
Thauvin opened the scoring in the 25th minute, adding to his goals in earlier rounds. Odsonne Édouard headed in a corner from Thauvin three minutes before halftime to make it 2-0. Djibril Coulibaly reduced the deficit for Nice soon after, but Abdallah Sima sealed the 3-1 result with 12 minutes left.
Nice struck the woodwork twice but endured a poor finish to the season, without a Ligue 1 win since mid-March. The club sits third from bottom and faces a promotion-relegation playoff against Saint-Étienne.
Referee Jérôme Brisard wore a numbered shirt as part of a campaign to promote respect for officials, with similar measures planned in other sports.
