Les Aiglons were not rewarded for their efforts or their fighting spirit. Having regained hope just before half-time, and then hitting the crossbar, they were instead punished in the final quarter of an hour (3-1), seeing their hopes of lifting the trophy slip away.

Nice began to believe. With just seconds to go before half-time, a youngster of just 17 years and 185 days brought Le Gym back into the game with an excellent header (45+3). It was a well-deserved reward for Djibril Coulibaly, who had been all over the pitch in the first half.

Having pulled one back to make it 2-1, OGC Nice believed and pushed hard for another 45 minutes. But they were unable to find the net again, hitting the bar and the post in turn, against a confident RC Lens side. So, in the end, of course, there was bound to be some frustration.

Second favourites against the Ligue 1 runners-up, Le Gym held out for a long time thanks to sheer determination and fighting spirit in the 2026 Coupe de France final, at the end of a tournament in which so much had gone their way up to that point.

In FRONT oF 15 000 NICE FANS

Lining up in their usual 3-4-3 formation with the trio of Mendy, Dante and Oppong playing in front of Dupé, Nice made a flying start to the match, driven by a determined attacking spirit. The midfield quartet of Clauss, Boudaoui, Coulibaly and Bard struggled to link up with the front three of Cho, Wahi and Diop at the right moment, but their hearts was on show for the 15,000 Nice supporters who had made the trip to the Stade de France on this Friday evening in late May.

Wahi (14') was quick to Saint-Maximin (12') but failed to hit the target. Djibril Coulibaly, the youngest starter in a Coupe de France final at 17 years and 185 days and soon to be a goalscorer, worked tirelessly all over the pitch. Le Gym were in the game.

Yet all it took was a single slip-up in this nerve-wracking 2025–2026 campaign for Le Gym to fall. Matthieu Udol was better positioned than Jonathan Clauss down the wing and managed to cross for Florian Thauvin, who was reacted quicker than Hicham Boudaoui to open the scoring (25', 1–0).

Far from giving up, the Aiglons tried to push forward again, but failed to pose a threat against an alert Robin Risser. Worse still, it was Lens who reaped the rewards of their fine season with a header from Odsonne Edouard – him again, after his brace in the first-leg league fixture – following a corner from Thauvin (42’, 2-0).

Coulibaly close to scoring a brace

It looked as though the match was set to be a long ordeal for the Aiglons, but Coulibaly had other ideas. The youngster reignited his team and their supporters just before half-time. He even came close to scoring a brace on the hour mark, but the crossbar denied him the immense joy (61').

The game settled down and the spaces narrowed. The substitutes reignited the match, with five new players quickly entering the game, two from Lens and three from Nice.

Ever enterprising, and with their captain playing in his fifth national cup final, OGC Nice pushed forward and tried to equalise. But in their eagerness to push forward, they were eventually caught out by a long ball that Dante could only get a faint touch on. Mendy was too close to stop Sima, and Maxime Dupé hesitated. The Lens striker took full advantage to seal the victory (78’, 3-1).

As a final insult in what was such a disappointing final for Claude Puel’s men, Kevin Carlos hit the post (83’), robbing Nice of a dramatic finish.

Opposite them, the runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain capitalised on the little details that make the difference between victory and defeat. But this red-and-black side have nothing to be ashamed of following this second final defeat in four years, after the efforts of 2022.

On the contrary, they must draw on the determination and energy shown at the Stade de France to finish the season in style by securing their place in Ligue 1 next week. The first leg of the play-off takes place in Saint-Étienne on Tuesday 26th May at 8.45 pm, with the return leg at home three days later.