Ten-man Lens stunned Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 on Sunday to claim the French Champions’ Trophy for the first time, denying the European champions a second trophy in just five days.
Florian Thauvin scored the decisive goal in the 32nd minute at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, capitalising on a loose ball after Matthieu Udol’s effort to fire Lens ahead.
Lens were reduced to 10 men just seven minutes later when Kyllian Antonio was shown a red card for a hard challenge. Despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for more than 50 minutes, Dino Toppmöller’s side defended resolutely to preserve their lead.
PSG dominated possession and created several opportunities but struggled to find a way past the Lens defence and goalkeeper Robin Risser.
Fabian Ruiz appeared to have levelled the contest late on, but his effort was ruled out for offside. PSG’s frustration deepened in the closing stages when Nuno Mendes was also sent off for an off-the-ball incident involving Lens winger Michał Skóraś.
The defeat ended PSG’s run of four consecutive French Champions’ Trophy titles and prevented Luis Enrique’s side from adding another piece of silverware to the UEFA Super Cup they won against Aston Villa four days earlier. PSG had defeated Villa 2-1 on Wednesday, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué scoring for the French club.
For Lens, the victory marked a remarkable start to Toppmöller’s reign. The club appointed the German coach in June following Pierre Sage’s departure, after Sage had guided Lens to the French Cup title in May.
The triumph also gave Lens their first French Champions’ Trophy, adding another major honour to the club’s growing list of achievements.
“We deserved more,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said after the defeat, reflecting his side’s frustration after failing to break down a Lens team that spent most of the second half with 10 men.
Lens’ victory sends an early warning to PSG ahead of the new domestic campaign, with the French champions facing a determined challenger that has already demonstrated its ability to compete with the country’s dominant force.
