Toulouse Demolish Nantes To Win French Cup

Logan Costa and Thijs Dallinga both scored twice as Toulouse crushed holders Nantes 5-1 on Saturday to win the French Cup for the first time since 1957. Costa headed Toulouse in front inside four minutes, adding a second in similar fashion before Dallinga bagged a brace with barely half an hour played at the Stade de France. Zakaria Aboukhlal rounded off a memorable triumph for Toulouse late in the second half after Ludovic Blas struck a consolation from the spot for Nantes.

"It's an iconic competition in this country and we're proud. We've done it, we've gone down in club history," said Costa.

However, Toulouse risk being unable to play in Europe next season if AC Milan qualify for the Champions League or Europa League as both clubs are owned by US investment firm RedBird Capital Partners.

President Emmanuel Macron shook hands with players in the tunnel before the game, sidestepping fears of a hostile reception following his hugely unpopular pension reform, which has sparked three months of protests and strikes.

Toulouse are enjoying a fine season on their return to Ligue 1, sitting comfortably in mid-table while reaching the final for the first time in 66 years.

Their 6-3 win over Angers in 1957 remains the competition's highest-scoring showpiece, but the club disappeared a decade later in a merger and a new version was founded in 1970.

Facing a Nantes side locked in a battle for their top-flight survival, Toulouse immediately seized control through an unlikely hero as Costa scored his first two goals of the season within 10 minutes.

The Cape Verde centre-back, who has featured almost exclusively in the cup this season, outmuscled Andrei Girotto to power in the opening goal from Branco van den Boomen's corner.

Van den