Michael Olise delivered a moment of individual brilliance in the 88th minute to secure a 1-0 victory for France over Belgium in their UEFA Nations League clash. Coming off the bench in the 77th minute to replace Bradley Barcola, the Bayern Munich winger collected the ball inside his own half and surged forward to the edge of the box, curling an unstoppable shot past Senne Lammens into the bottom-left corner. Having been sent on in the 77th minute in place of Liverpool winger Bradley Barcola, but the contest was heading to an unremarkable goalless conclusion until Olise intervened.
This result marks Zinedine Zidane’s second consecutive win since taking over as France manager from Didier Deschamps. Zidane, who began his tenure with a 1-0 win away to Turkiye last Friday, currently leads Group A1 with six points, sitting three clear of both Italy and Belgium. Italy bolstered their standing on Monday with a 4-1 victory over Turkiye, while France is set to host Italy at the Stade de France this Friday before facing Belgium again on October 5.
France’s squad faced challenges heading into the match, most notably the absence of captain Kylian Mbappe, who returned to Real Madrid for treatment on a left knee injury sustained against Turkiye. Consequently, Zidane made nine changes to his starting XI at the King Baudouin Stadium, with only Mike Maignan and Chelsea’s Maxence Lacroix retained. The lineup featured notable debuts for Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha and Rennes forward Esteban Lepaul, the reigning Ligue 1 top scorer.
Despite the experimental lineup, France controlled much of the game. Desire Doue hit the crossbar in the first half, and Da Cunha struck the post shortly after the break. While Belgium’s new head coach, Mark van Bommel, opted for consistency by making only two changes to the side that defeated Italy 2-0 last Friday, his team struggled to break the deadlock before Olise’s late intervention defined the contest.
