PARIS (AP) — Lens beat Nice 3-1 in Friday’s final, with star striker Florian Thauvin scoring and adding another, capping a spectacular season with their first French Cup victory.
Lens faced Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 for most of the season, but struggled to match their resources in the latter weeks of the season, finishing in second place, six points behind.
Friday’s victory at the Stade de France was a well-deserved victory for a team under coach Pierre Sarge that has combined young prospects with experienced craftsmen to great effect.
Thauvin opened the scoring after 25 minutes and would go on to score in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, but three minutes before half-time, Thauvin’s corner from the left was headed in by Odessonne Edouard to double Lens’ lead.
Nice pulled one back almost immediately through Djibril Koulibaly, but with 12 minutes remaining, Abdallah Sima outsmarted the Nice defense and made it 3-1 home, ensuring the trophy was headed to northern France.
The result was tough for Nice. He hit the crate twice, which may not be surprising given the disastrous final weeks of the season. Nice have not won in Ligue 1 since mid-March and finished the year in third-last place.
Ligue 1 status will be decided next week in a home-and-away promotion/relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne.
Umpire wear No.84
The final was notable for referee Jérôme Brissard wearing a numbered jersey as part of a campaign aimed at fostering respect for match officials.
Brizard wore the number 84 on his back, in honor of a poll that found 84% of French respondents believed that “respecting referees means protecting sport.”
Match officials from other sports, such as rugby and basketball, are also expected to wear the same uniform numbers for future matches.
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