It’s done! After 120 years of existence of the club and at the end of the 109e edition of the Coupe de France, Racing put its name on the list of winners. A deliverance for the people and a grandiose celebration. The night from Friday to Saturday was a hell of a night. And a night from hell is terrible.
Photo Culture Sang et Or
After four years of closed ticket offices, we discovered that there could be 50,000 Lensois at the Stade de France and simultaneously 38,000 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. And probably several tens of thousands in front of the forty giant screens which have been deployed in Hauts-de-France. All this without even counting the vast majority of supporters who gathered in bars or gathered at home with their loved ones. We already knew that the people of Lens far exceeded the number of inhabitants in Lens and the capacity of the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium. But how many hundreds of thousands of people are the famous “Lensois people”?
In Saint-Denis like at home
This famous blood and gold crowd, often caricatured and sometimes even by Racing coaches and players. At the end of the match, Pierre Sage declared:“We are lucky in this profession to be able to make people happy. And when we know our Region and the difficulties they encounter…. It’s difficult to avoid the pathos and the image of the supporter who has worked hard and who deserves more than anyone else to be rewarded with a trophy. The Lensois people have a unique fervor and carry within themselves the singular identity of the mining basin. The interpretation of Pierre Bachelet’s “Corons” by the Republican Guard will remain a unique moment where our identity was married to that of the Republic. Perhaps this was where the north wind blew across France.
Before that, the procession of supporters, all smoke bombs and songs, had gone up the streets of Saint-Denis towards the stadium. We only saw Lensois jerseys around the enclosure. We couldn’t lose. Not now. Not the day when there were two stadiums in blood and gold simultaneously.
Win without dominating
Because there was a match and the Niçois were not dominated. They had possession (58%) and “expected goals” (1.39 for Nice and 1.27 for Lens according to Flashscore). But if in L1 the Lensois finished second and the Niçois barraged, it is because the Artésiens are realistic offensively and defensively, while the Azuréns are not. Thauvin and Saint-Maximin dynamited the Nice defense. The stewards found Wahi in the pocket of Ganiou’s shorts. He put it away from the first ball sent deep. And then Sima, Mr. Coupe de France, extinguished the last hopes of the Aiglons, allowing us to live through the last minutes calmly.
Photo Culture Sang et Or
Place à la fête
Gervais Martel could now release his tears in the arms of Benjamin Parrot and Jean-Louis Leca, then be accompanied by Joseph Oughourlian to the podium of the celebration.
The night was just beginning. On weekends too. During these days our cell phones will vibrate regularly to the rhythm of the photos and videos that we exchange with our loved ones. We will create memories and anecdotes that we will tell for decades. Some will say in a few years that they were in Saint-Denis. Others in Bollaert-Delelis. Or in front of this or that giant screen. We will forever remember where and with whom we were on May 22 and 23, 2026. And one day, when Racing wins a second one, we will perhaps be the jaded ones who will say: it was better in 2026, it was more festive, it was the first, the one we were waiting for so much.
Photo Culture Sang et Or
Now the weekend is over. We will be able to rest. And regularly remind us that our club won this trophy. It’s strange, we lived for so many years with this idea that something was missing from our record, that we were going to have to find a way to win it, perhaps at the next attempt, possibly at the next… It will still take some time to integrate this simple fact: the Racing Club de Lens has won the Coupe de France in 2026.
We are all so proud to belong to the Lensois people. We knew who we were. We know it even more today. Passionate people who, at the sight of this coat of arms, go slightly crazy at the edges, shouting our joy, singing until they lose their voices.
Thanks to the players. Thanks to Pierre Sage and his staff. Thank you Jean-Louis Leca. Thank you Benjamin Parrot. Thank you Joseph Oughourlian. And thank you to all the club’s employees.
