Lens win first French Cup, beat Nice 3-1 at Stade de France

RC Lens won the French Cup for the first time in the club's history on Friday, defeating Nice 3-1 in the final at the Stade de France. The victory capped a remarkable season for the northern French side, which also finished as runner-up in Ligue 1.

Florian Thauvin, a 2018 World Cup winner, was instrumental in the triumph, scoring the opening goal and assisting the second. He put Lens ahead in the 25th minute, finishing clinically from inside the area. Thauvin then provided the corner that Odsonne Édouard headed home to double the lead three minutes before halftime.

Nice responded almost immediately, with 17-year-old Djibril Coulibaly scoring his first senior goal just before the interval to reduce the deficit. The southern club pressed for an equalizer in the second half and hit the woodwork twice, but Lens sealed the victory in the 78th minute. Substitute Abdallah Sima, who had entered the match 12 minutes earlier, muscled past two defenders to score the decisive third goal.

The result sparked wild celebrations among the tens of thousands of Lens supporters who traveled to Paris. The club had previously lost in three French Cup finals, most recently in 1998, the same year it won...