RC Lens won the Trophée des Champions on Sunday night after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at Stade Bollaert in Lens.
Florian Thauvin scored the match's only goal in the 33rd minute before Lens defender Kyllian Antonio was sent off late in the first half.
The victory gave Lens their first Trophée des Champions title in club history and their second consecutive trophy following their victory in the Coupe de France.
Lens center-back Maik Nawrocki anchored a resilient defensive unit alongside Ganiou and goalkeeper Robin Risser to hold off the reigning French champions throughout the second half.
First Half Action and Red Card
The match began evenly before Paris Saint-Germain started to control possession, creating several early chances through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Lens opened the scoring against the run of play when former Marseille winger Florian Thauvin pounced on a mis-hit attempt by Mathieu Udol to beat the PSG goalkeeper in the 33rd minute.
Lens were forced to defend their lead with ten men after Kyllian Antonio received a straight red card in the 41st minute for a heavy challenge on Vitinha.
PSG nearly equalized just before the interval when Désiré Doué struck the crossbar in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Second Half Pressure and Disallowed Goals
Paris Saint-Germain pushed forward aggressively in the second half, building up to 70 percent possession and registering 18 total shots by the 80th minute.
Fabian Ruiz thought he had leveled the match for PSG in the 76th minute when he slotted home a pass from Désiré Doué, but the goal was ruled out after Doué was caught offside in the build-up.
Désiré Doué created another opportunity in the 81st minute with a skilful dribble into the penalty area, but substitute Ousmane Dembélé misfired from inside the six-yard box.
Dembélé missed another chance three minutes later, sending a long-range effort wide of the target as Lens maintained their narrow lead.
Midfielder Titraoui delivered an impressive performance in the heart of midfield before being replaced by Haidara in the 82nd minute. Lens had referred to Titraoui as the Algerian Verratti when announcing his transfer earlier in the window.
PSG manager Luis Enrique made an offensive substitution in the 83rd minute, bringing on Dro to replace midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery.
Late Red Card and Final Minutes
Lens came close to doubling their advantage in the 85th minute when Fofana sent a cross to Skoras, who directed his effort wide of the post.
Tensions flared one minute later when PSG defender Nuno Mendes was shown a straight red card for striking Skoras with an elbow away from the ball.
Lens appeared to score a second goal in the 88th minute when defender Mathieu Udol headed the ball into the net. However, the referee disallowed the goal because he had already blown his whistle to award Lens a free kick rather than allowing play to continue.
Bulatovic received a yellow card in the 89th minute during a heated exchange that also saw Achraf Hakimi confront opponents.
Achraf Hakimi attempted a late bicycle kick during five minutes of stoppage time, but his shot went wide before the final whistle confirmed Lens's victory after 96 minutes of play.
Squad Rebuild and Post Match Reactions
The win comes after Lens underwent significant squad changes over the summer under new head coach Dino Toppmöller, who replaced Pierre Sage on the bench.
Lens secured the silverware despite losing key players during the transfer window, including Sangaré, Thomasson, Saïd, Malang Sarr, and Saint-Maximin.
PSG entered the fixture four days after winning the UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday. Several of their international players, including Doué, Hakimi, and Dembélé, had only returned to training on Monday following post-World Cup breaks.
French national team coach was in attendance at Stade Bollaert to watch the match ahead of the upcoming international fixtures.
Following the match, Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser said that whether reduced to ten, nine, or eight players, the team goes to war on the pitch to defend their lead.
With the domestic season curtain-raiser complete, French football coverage turns to mid-week action as Lyon face Fenerbahçe in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League.
