Michael Olise scored twice and assisted another as France overcame a first-half deficit to beat Belgium, securing Zinedine Zidane's first home victory as manager.
Key facts
- •Dodi Lukébakio scored for Belgium in the first half, marking the team's first competitive goal against France in 45 years.
- •Michael Olise, who came off the bench, was involved in three of France's four goals during the final 14 minutes.
- •France leads Group A1 by three points over Italy, with Belgium trailing by an additional point.
- •Viktor Gyökeres extended his scoring streak to seven consecutive Nations League games during Sweden's 1-0 win against Romania.
- •Zinedine Zidane managed the team without Kylian Mbappé, who was sidelined due to injury.
France secured a 4-1 victory over Belgium in the Nations League at the Stade de France, marking Zinedine Zidane’s first home win since taking charge. Despite trailing to a first-half goal from Dodi Lukébakio, the hosts scored four times in the final 14 minutes to maintain their unbeaten record and move three points clear at the top of Group A1.
By the numbers
Late French Surge
Désiré Doué equalized for France in the 77th minute with a low drive from the edge of the area. Four minutes later, Michael Olise provided an assist for Rayan Cherki to put the hosts in front. Olise then extended the lead in the 88th minute before adding a fourth goal during stoppage time to finalize the comeback.
Team Changes and Debuts
Zidane rotated his squad significantly for the match, making 10 changes from the previous lineup, with only Ousmane Dembélé retaining his position. The match featured international debuts for Manchester United defender Leny Yoro and Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes. Belgium also fielded a debutant in goal, Maarten Vandevoordt, who replaced the suspended Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans.
Other Nations League Results
In other Group A1 action, Italy defeated Turkey 3-1 in Bologna with goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori, and Pio Esposito. Elsewhere, Hungary beat Ukraine 2-1 in Group B2, Sweden secured a 1-0 win over Romania in Group B4, and Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Poland 1-0. Cyprus also recorded a 2-1 victory against Latvia in Group C2 following a stoppage-time winner from Marcus Edwards.
Advertisement
This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Guardian Football.
