France staged a dramatic late comeback to defeat Belgium 4-1 in the UEFA Nations League at the Stade de France on Monday, handing coach Zinedine Zidane his first home victory since taking charge.
Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio opened the scoring in the 35th minute, capitalizing on a long pass from Romeo Lavia to beat debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes. France, playing without captain Kylian Mbappé, struggled against Belgium’s defensive block and failed to score in the first half for the eighth consecutive match.
The turning point came in the final 15 minutes, as substitutes Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki, and Michael Olise transformed the game. Doué equalized in the 77th minute with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box. Four minutes later, Cherki put France ahead after finishing an Olise cross. Olise then sealed the win with two close-range goals in stoppage time, completing a brace.
“Tonight, this is soccer, this is what we love,” Zidane told TF1. “We faced some difficulties in the first half but that’s part of the game; it’s the kind of match you get from time to time. It’s good to set things right—which is what we did—and we managed to play an extraordinary second half.” Olise added, “It’s a team effort. Zidane brings in ideas, we follow them.”
The victory reinforced France’s lead in Group A1 with 10 points, three ahead of Italy and four clear of Belgium. France next travels to Milan to face Italy in their penultimate group match next month before hosting Turkey.
