On Tuesday, Lens secured a place in the French Cup final, thanks to a great victory over Toulouse 4-1, on a night that witnessed the brilliance of Saudi defender Saud Abdul Hamid again, who passed two balls that resulted in two goals against the opponent. Lens will play the winner of Wednesday's second confrontation between Strasbourg and Nice. Lens is also competing strongly for the French League title, as it occupies second place, one point behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Published on: 04/22/2026 - 07:25 Last updated: 04/22/2026 - 09:54

Saudi international defender Saud Abdul Hamid shone again as he helped his team, Lens, reach the final match of the French Cup with two decisive passes, which were credited with the great victory his team achieved over its guest, Toulouse, 4-1, on Tuesday in Lens, in the semi-finals.

Lens took the lead with two early goals through Florian Thuffin (9 from a penalty kick) and Alain Saint-Maximan following a pass from the latter after nine minutes (18), and Toulouse reduced the gap three minutes later through Argentine Santiago Hidalgo (21).

Lens restored the lead by scoring the third goal 10 minutes before the end of the first half by Mathieu Odul following a pass from Abdul Hamid, before the Saudi international, loaned from Italian club Roma, returned the ball with a decisive pass to Adrian Thomasson, from which he scored the fourth goal in the 74th minute.

Lens renewed its victory over Toulouse after narrowly defeating it four days ago 3-2 in the French League after being 2-0 behind.

Coach Pierre Sage's team will face, in the final on May 22nd at the Stade de France in Paris, Strasbourg or Nice, who will meet on Wednesday in the semi-finals.

Tennis has never lifted the cup in its 120-year history, contenting itself with finishing as runner-up three times (1948, 1975 and 1998).

The fans of the “Blood and Gold” team (named after Looney Lens) have been waiting for many years and with great passion for the players to lift the local cup for the first time, and to repeat the league achievement that they won in 1998, knowing that they finished as runner-up five times (1956, 1957, 1977, 2002, and 2023).

Lens also maintained its chances of achieving an unprecedented double in its history, as it is still a strong competitor in the league, as it trails in second place, one point behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain, which played one less match (63 versus 62), 5 stages before the end.

France 24/AFP

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