Lens lift the French Cup for the first time after beating Nice in the final

PARIS: (May 23) (AP) 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.

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.