Lens defeated reigning champions PSG 1-0 in front of their home fans to claim the French Super Cup for the first time in their history, with Croatian striker Franjo Ivanović immediately getting his hands on the trophy.
In the French Super Cup, Lens pulled off a major upset. In front of their home crowd at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, they beat reigning champions PSG 1-0, securing the competition for the first time in the club's history. Croatian international Franjo Ivanović made his debut for his new club and immediately picked up his first trophy.
The only goal of the match came from Florian Thauvin in the 32nd minute. Lens were reduced to ten men in the 39th minute after Kevin Antonio was sent off, which made coach Dino Toppmöller's game plan even more challenging.
Ivanović was handed a starting spot just days after joining on loan from Benfica. Toppmöller deployed him at the tip of the attack, ahead of Thauvin and Abdallah Sima. The Croatian forward played the first half but did not come out for the second, as the coach had to reshuffle the team and bolster the defense. He was replaced by Ruben Aguilar.
In the second half, PSG predictably pushed for an equalizer. Coach Luis Enrique brought on Ousmane Dembélé, Nuno Mendes, and Fabián Ruiz. Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser made several crucial saves, and Ruiz found the back of the net in the 76th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Lens held on under pressure to preserve their slender lead.
For the 22-year-old Ivanović, the start of his French adventure could hardly have been more successful. He joined Lens on a season-long loan from Benfica, where he made 42 appearances in all competitions. Before that, he particularly shone at Union Saint-Gilloise, where he scored 20 goals in the 2024/25 season and won the Belgian league title.
This is the first time in history that Lens have won the French Super Cup. Prior to this, Lens had only participated in the competition in 1998, also against PSG, but the Parisians won 1-0 that day. Lens also won the first Coupe de France in their history last season, adding another trophy to their collection in just a few months.
Last season, Lens were the surprise package of the top five leagues, having been in the title race with PSG for a long time, with the latter ultimately prevailing by six points.
News of the upset quickly spread across social media. Football expert Fabrizio Romano posted on X: "🟡🔴🏆 RC Lens beat Paris Saint-Germain in the French Super Cup final and get the trophy! Who's been your Man of the Match?" The post garnered 338.6 thousand views.
User Big Popo added: "Ferran Torres arrives in PSG, PSG lose the final, Ferran Torres curse is activeeee 😂", OnlyRaff wrote "Am happy lens won", and Banter FC said: "PSG FINALLY LOST 𝑮𝒂𝒉 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒐 ⚡︎".
