Michael Olise delivered a moment of individual brilliance in the 88th minute to secure a 1-0 win for France against Belgium in Monday’s UEFA Nations League encounter in Brussels. The Bayern Munich forward, brought on in the 77th minute for Liverpool’s Bradley Barcola, collected the ball inside his own half before driving forward and curling a shot past Senne Lammens into the bottom-left corner.
This result maintains Zinedine Zidane’s flawless start to his tenure as France manager, having now secured two wins from two matches since taking over from Didier Deschamps. Zidane, who was without captain Kylian Mbappe due to a left knee injury sustained against Turkiye, saw his side climb to the top of Nations League Group A1 with six points. France currently holds a three-point lead over both Belgium and Italy, the latter of whom defeated Turkiye 4-1 on the same night.
The victory followed an experimental approach from the French coaching staff, who made nine changes to their starting lineup at the King Baudouin Stadium. Only goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Maxence Lacroix retained their positions from the previous outing. The match saw international debuts for Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha and Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul, last season’s Ligue 1 top scorer.
France displayed dominance throughout much of the contest, with Desire Doue hitting the crossbar in the first half and Da Cunha striking the post shortly after the interval. While the visitors were the more dangerous side, the game appeared destined for a scoreless draw until Olise’s decisive intervention. Belgium, under the home debut of new coach Mark van Bommel, struggled to make an impact, having only made two adjustments to the squad that beat Italy 2-0 last Friday. France had the better of the chances with Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue cracking a shot off the bar in the first half and Da Cunha striking the post early in the second half.
France is set to host Italy at the Stade de France this coming Friday for Zidane’s first home match in charge. The team will then conclude this block of fixtures by hosting Belgium on October 5.
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