France trailed Belgium until the 77th minute, and Zidane’s substitutes scored four to win 4-1
Dodi Lukébakio had Belgium ahead at the Stade de France until Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise came off the bench and turned the game in the last 13 minutes.
Oct 6, 2026
Zinedine Zidane has his first home win as France coach, and he needed his bench to get it. Belgium led at the Stade de France from the 35th minute until the 77th on Monday night, 5 October. Then three substitutes scored four goals between them and France won 4-1, a result that landed in the early hours of Tuesday in India.
Lukébakio beats the debutant
Belgium came to Saint-Denis without Kevin De Bruyne and their captain Youri Tielemans, both suspended. They went ahead anyway. Romeo Lavia played a long ball over the French defence, Dodi Lukébakio ran onto it, and he finished one-on-one against Guillaume Restes. The Toulouse goalkeeper was making his France debut.
France had no answer before the break. Zidane sent on Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki on the hour, and Désiré Doué joined them in the 72nd minute.
Four goals in 13 minutes
Doué needed five minutes. He took the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the area, turned, and drove it low into the far corner for 1-1. Four minutes later France were in front. Olise found Cherki, whose shot struck Maarten Vandevoordt’s foot and bounced in off the goalkeeper’s arm.
Olise finished it himself with two goals in the closing minutes, the first in the 88th set up by Cherki and the second in stoppage time set up by Doué. Every French goal came from a player who started on the bench.
“Tonight, this is soccer, this is what we love,” Zidane said. He admitted France had faced “some difficulties in the first half” and said the substitutes “could change the game because they are high-quality players”, though he called it “a complete team performance”.
France clear at the top of Group 1
France now have 10 points from four games in Group 1 of League A and are still unbeaten. Italy beat Türkiye 3-1 in Bologna at the same time to go second on seven, so Belgium drop to third on six. Türkiye have no points.
Belgium have now lost to France twice in this group. The first was 1-0 in Brussels on 28 September, and Olise came off the bench to score the late winner that night too. France play Italy and Türkiye in November to finish the group stage.