RC Lens’ 27-year wait for a major trophy ended in spectacular fashion as they clinched the Coupe de France with a 3-1 victory over Nice at the Stade de France on Saturday night. The triumph sparked an all-night celebration that stretched into dawn, as the squad returned to a deafening welcome at Stade Bollaert from over 15,000 delirious supporters. For a club steeped in passion and tradition, the scenes that unfolded represented far more than a piece of silverware—they were the release of nearly three decades of longing.
Before this weekend, Lens last hoisted the Coupe de France in 1998, a generation ago. Their only subsequent trophy, the Coupe de la Ligue in 1999, felt like a distant memory. This victory not only secures a cherished domestic double—coupling the cup with a Europa League berth for next season—but also cements the Pierre Sage era as a storybook success. Appointed in November after a summer of upheaval, Sage molded a resilient, united side that peaked at the perfect moment. His tactical acumen and ability to galvanize the squad were never more evident than in the final, where Lens outplayed a Nice team that had been among Ligue 1’s most consistent.
The final itself was a showcase of collective will. Florian Thauvin, the 2018 World Cup winner whose career had faced detours, emerged as the hero. His performance embodied the redemption arc Lens have written all season—clinical, creative, and emotionally charged. Alongside him, the defensive rocks Jonathan Gradit and Florian Sotoca, both icons of the Sang et Or, delivered the kind of gritty, passionate display that has defined their tenures. When the final whistle blew in Saint-Denis, the party was already hours old in the streets of Lens.
At Stade Bollaert, giant screens had allowed tens of thousands to live every minute. As the night deepened, over 8,000 remained, their numbers swelling with each returning bus from the capital. By 3 a.m., the stadium hummed with nervous energy, focused on the final kilometers of the players’ journey, tracked via a live feed from the team bus. When the vehicle finally rolled into view, the roar could be heard across the Artois region. At 4:09 a.m., president Joseph Oughourlian emerged onto the pitch, the Coupe de France raised high. He was flanked by general director Benjamin Parrot, sporting director Jean-Louis Leca—the former goalkeeper turned executive—and Sage, whose name rang out in repeated chants.
What followed was joyous chaos. Florian Sotoca, dazed by emotion, immediately tripped over a spotlight but erupted in laughter, soon becoming a ringleader alongside Gradit. The duo, who had acted as bartenders on the bus ride home (hydration being paramount, joked performance chief Guillaume Ravé), orchestrated the celebrations with bear hugs and champagne showers. Goalkeeper Régis Gurtner, despite wearing sunglasses to mask the effects of a long night, fell victim to an impromptu haircut—a fate nearly shared by the driver, Gilles, who narrowly avoided the clippers.
Thauvin, so often understated, climbed onto the supporter’s perch—usually the domain of the capo—and stayed for long minutes, leading chants and weeping as the magnitude of the moment washed over him. He was joined by his “brother” from Grenoble academy days, Ruben Aguilar, along with Sotoca and Adrien Thomasson. Sage, also scaling the same vantage point, defied his reserved nature to connect directly with the sea of red and gold. Below, Jean-Louis Leca wandered speechless, embraced by all, while Sotoca found his shorts briefly lowered in a moment of pure dressing-room camaraderie.
Amid the revelry, the trophy itself became an active participant. Club captain Matthieu Udol managed to open his cheekbone with it—an incident that drew startled looks but was swiftly dismissed as minor. The imposing Malang Sarr, whose contract expires this summer, took a long farewell tour of the pitch. While no decision has been made on his future, the defender’s emotions suggested the possibility of a final goodbye. Even the reserved Odsonne Edouard required gentle encouragement to lift the cup, a symbol of how every member of this squad was pulled into the inner circle.
For Lens, this night was more than a celebration—it was a declaration. Having lost manager Franck Haise and key players last summer, many predicted a season of regression. Instead, Sage constructed a side that defined itself through unity and grit, culminating in a trophy that restores the club’s place at French football’s top table. The Europa League adventure that awaits will bring new challenges, but on this night, the only timetable that mattered was the one leading to a sunrise over Bollaert.
By 5 a.m., as the first light crept over the terraces, players and fans alike reluctantly departed, only to reconvene hours later for a city-wide parade on a specially prepared double-decker bus. The Artois region will sleep little in the coming days, but it will dream of a team that scratched an itch 27 summers deep. Based on reporting from L'Equipe.