Toulouse crushed defending champion Nantes 5-1 in the final of the French Cup after scoring four goals in the first half at the Stade de France to achieve their first major title on Saturday. Defender Loghan Costa and striker Thijs Dallinga each scored twice in the first 31 minutes, and striker Zakaria Aboukhlal added the fifth goal in the second half. Dallinga made it 4-0 after half an hour with a close-range follow-up.
Toulouse took the lead in the fourth minute through Costa and doubled it six minutes later with another header. They extended their lead after a collaboration between Gabriel Sousa and Dallinga, where Dallinga converted a brilliant pass into the net with a precise shot over the goalkeeper.
Nantes, who hadn't won a league match since mid-February and had not secured their safety in the top tier for next season, made three changes at halftime, bringing on forwards Andy Delort and Ignatius Ganago, and midfielder Samuel Moutoussamy. However, they only managed to score one goal from a penalty taken by midfielder Ludovic Blas a quarter of an hour from the end, before Moroccan Aboukhlal completed the tally with a long-range shot.
Nantes, who are separated from the relegation zone by goal difference, had a strong run to the cup final after beating Lens in the quarter-finals and Olympique Lyon in the semi-finals. Toulouse, currently 12th in the league, defeated two second-division teams, Rodez and Annecy, in the previous rounds. Nantes had won the final in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. Toulouse's only previous titles were in Ligue 2, with their last win in 2021-2022. This title guarantees Toulouse a spot in the Europa League, marking their first appearance in continental competitions since 2009-2010.
