Lens produced a dominant and composed performance to reach their first Coupe de France final since 1997/98, beating Toulouse 4-1 in a match they controlled for long stretches.
They set the tone early, with Florian Thauvin winning and converting a penalty to open the scoring. Moments later, he turned provider, setting up Allan Saint-Maximin for a well-taken strike from distance to make it 2-0 inside 18 minutes.
Toulouse briefly got back into the game after a defensive error allowed Santiago Hidalgo to score from close range, but Lens quickly reasserted control. Before half-time, Matthieu Udol restored the two-goal cushion by finishing from close range after a precise cross from Saud Abdulhamid.
In the second half, Lens stayed on top and limited Toulouse’s attacking threat. The result was effectively sealed in the 74th minute when Adrien Thomasson scored following a saved free-kick from Thauvin, with Abdulhamid again involved in the build-up.
From there, Lens managed the game comfortably and could even have scored more, underlining a convincing victory.
They now move on to the final, where they will face either Strasbourg or Nice, with a chance to win a historic first Coupe de France title.
