Trophée des Champions, 16/08/2026
Lens held the home advantage as they welcomed PSG to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis for the annual curtain-raiser in French football – the Trophée des Champions. This home advantage would count as Les Sang et Or produced a resolute defensive display after being reduced to ten men following Kylian Antonio’s dismissal. PSG also found themselves down to ten men after Mendes elbowed his marker. Florian Thauvin’s first-half goal proved to be the difference.
The match
Les Parisiens had the first effort on target of the match. Kvaratskhelia let fly from distance, but his effort wasn’t enough to trouble Risser, who made a good save. After being played through on goal by Vitinha, Akliouche had the opportunity to score his first goal in PSG colours, only to be thwarted by Nawrocki with a great challenge. Lens started positively, but this couldn’t be sustained as Luis Enrique’s team quickly developed a stronghold on possession in the opening 20 minutes.
Thauvin was the beating heart of anything positive in the final third for Lens, and he drove his side forward and teed up Ivanović for his first effort in Lens colours, but he was unable to get it away thanks to a good challenge from Beraldo. Abdulhamid showed his ability to get forward for the first time, and Vitinha headed behind rather nervously, almost scoring an own goal.
Despite immense PSG pressure, Lens opened the scoring. On his first game as skipper, Thauvin scored the opening goal. Udol’s shot ended up being a pinpoint delivery as he found the French international in ample space to dispatch his effort beyond Safonov from close range.
As soon as Lens began to gain a foothold in the match with their opening goal and saw more regular possession, they found themselves reduced to ten men. Kylian Antonio dived into a challenge on Akliouche and was given his marching orders. The teenager made contact with the ball first, but the follow-through clattered into the former Monaco attacking midfielder, and the referee deemed that enough to produce a red card.
Pushing for an equaliser, the Ligue 1 champions came agonisingly close through Doué on the stroke of half-time. The French international wriggled his way through to the byline before trying to loft the ball beyond Risser, only for the crossbar to come to the Les Sang et Or goalkeeper’s rescue and keep the hosts’ lead intact at the break.
Ruben Aguilar was brought on at the break to replace debutant Franjo Ivanović as Toppmöller aimed to shore up his defence after finding his team reduced to ten men. The ball sat up nicely for Vitinha at the edge of the Lens penalty area early in the second half. Nevertheless, the former Wolves midfielder squandered his shot as his effort sailed over the bar.
After a forraying run forward from Ganiou, Thauvin found himself with space to shoot, but his effort was narrowly wide. On the hour mark with his team still behind, Luis Enrique called upon Ousmane Dembélé, Fabián Ruiz and Nuno Mendes to help find an equaliser. The latter worked well with Doué to force his way into the Lens box, but a vital hand from Risser denied the Portuguese international defender.
Doué unleashed a thunderous effort from distance as PSG continued to search for an equaliser. However, his effort was just above the crossbar as an air of desperation began to creep into the UEFA Champions League winners’ attempts to find the back of the net. Dembélé also threatened from distance, yet failed to test Risser. PSG believed they had found their equaliser as Doué was played in behind and rolled the ball to Ruiz to find the back of the net, but the offside flag denied them.
Dembélé was played in again this time by Doué, but he skied his volley over the bar with the clock ticking down. Skoras almost doubled the Lens lead as Sima fed him, but his effort was narrowly wide. Nuno Mendes was then given a red card to level each team to ten apiece. The Portuguese defender elbowed Skoras in the face and was rightly dismissed. Udol then found the back of the net with a diving header, but a foul from Ruiz on Sima saw the play stop for a free kick with the Spanish midfielder given a yellow card.
Lens managed to hold on in the final minutes to secure the first domestic trophy of the French football season. The Coupe de France winners put in a defensively resolute performance to add to their trophy cabinet.
Lens player ratings:
Robin Risser, 6
Kylian Antonio, 3
Sent off in the 38th minute for a challenge on Maghnes Akliouche.
Ismaëlo Ganiou, 8
Despite his team’s disadvantage, the Frenchman showed an ability beyond his years to lead the line and produce some vital defensive contributions as he faced up against some of the best attackers the game has to offer. Additionally, noticing the lack of progression through midfield, he took possession from defence to drive his team up the pitch and create space.
Maik Nawrocki, 7
Saud Abdulhamid, 7
Michaël Cuisance, 5
Yacine Titraoui, 7
Matthieu Udol, 7
Florian Thauvin, 7
The newly appointed Lens captain was behind everything positive the hosts produced in the final third and that continued with the opening goal of the game when he found himself in the right place at the right time with a tidy finish. His ability to drive play forward and expose space posed PSG problems.
Franjo Ivanović, 4
Taken off at the break, it wasn’t the debut that the Croatian striker would have been hoping for. He struggled to find himself involved in the play and squandered the one chance that was presented to him. Toppmöller decided he was the casualty as he brought on an extra defender amidst the man disadvantage.
Replaced by Ruben Aguilar ’45 – 7
Abdallah Sima, 4
PSG player ratings
Matvey Safonov, 4
Achraf Hakimi, 5
Ilya Zabarnyi, 5
Willian Pacho, 5
Lucas Digne, 4
On debut, the former Aston Villa defender struggled to contain Florian Thauvin. Whether it be losing his marker as he inverted or being forced to foul his international teammate
Lucas Beraldo, 4
Vitinha, 6
Warren Zaïre-Emery, 5
Maghnes Akliouche, 6
The Frenchman’s second appearance for Les Parisiens went much better than his first when he was hooked at half-time. He was heavily involved in the final third and linked up particularly well with Doué. If it wasn’t for Nawrocki, the former Monaco man could have scored the opening goal of the match.
Désiré Doué, 6
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 5