Michael Olise came off the bench to inspire France to a 4-1 win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, handing Zinedine Zidane his first home victory since taking charge. Dodi Lukebakio put Belgium on course for their first competitive win over Les Bleus in 45 years when he fired the visitors in front in the first half at the Stade de France. But France turned the match on its head in a blistering finish, scoring four times in the final 13 minutes to preserve Zidane’s unbeaten start and move closer to the quarter-finals.
Olise then put the result beyond doubt with a third goal before adding another in stoppage time to cap a stunning French comeback. Manchester United defender Leny Yoro and Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes made their France debuts, with Dembele again captaining the side in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappe. France, who also beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels last week thanks to a late Olise goal, moved three points clear of Italy at the top of Group A1, with Belgium another point back. Italy beat Turkey 3-1 in Bologna to condemn their opponents to a fourth straight loss. “I’m pleased with the results: we have 10 points, and beyond the victories and the points, what matters most is the satisfaction of having done a good job with the players and my staff. Former World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner Zidane heavily rotated his team for the last match of this two-week long international window, with only Ousmane Dembele keeping his place among the 10 changes.
