Lens thrash Toulouse 4-0 to reach Coupe de France final for first time in 26 years

After staging a comeback from 2-0 behind to defeat Toulouse in Ligue 1 only four days prior, Lens appeared keen to begin strongly against Carles Martinez Novells team.

The home side quickly asserted their dominance, and their initial pressure paid off when Pape Demba Diop clumsily brought down Florian Thauvin inside the penalty area, allowing the French forward to step up and slot the penalty past Kjetil Haug.

Emboldened by the opening goal, Les Sang et Or extended their advantage in the 18th minute, as Thauvin displayed sharp awareness to locate Allan Saint-Maximin, who rifled an excellent shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards out.

Still reeling from a poor start to the match, Toulouse were handed a chance to respond when Samson Baidoo lost the ball in his own defensive third, enabling Santiago Hidalgo to slot it in from close proximity.

Even with that moment of carelessness, Lens continued to control the game, and they almost regained their two-goal margin when Odsonne Edourads low attempt was blocked by Haug.

Undeterred, the home team scored a third just before the break, as Matthieu Udol found room in the six-yard area to convert from Saud Abdulhamids precise cross.

With a record of eight wins in their last 10 competitive meetings against Toulouse (one draw, one loss), Lens showed no let-up at the start of the second half, though Edouard missed a pair of decent opportunities for Pierre Sages squad.

The away side struggled to generate any real threats themselves, however, and Les Sang et Or sealed the result in the 74th minute, with Abdulhamid laying it off for Adrien Thomasson to net following Thauvins free-kick that Haug parried.

With a solid three-goal advantage, Lens coasted to the end amid the vibrant atmosphere at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, as Mamadou Sangare and Abdallah Sima squandered additional chances to boost the margin.

All the same, it proved a landmark evening for Les Sang et Or, bringing Sages team nearer to securing their inaugural Coupe de France trophy, with either Strasbourg or Nice set to face them in the decider.