Zidane made nine changes in Brussels, and two of his substitutes won it for France
Michael Olise came off the bench and ran from his own half to beat Belgium 1-0, and Zinedine Zidane’s France have won both Nations League games so far.
Sep 29, 2026
Zinedine Zidane changed nine of his starting eleven for Belgium, and it was two of the players he left on the bench who won the game. Michael Olise, on as a 77th-minute substitute, took a pass from fellow replacement Rayan Cherki, ran from inside his own half and scored the only goal a couple of minutes from time. France won 1-0 in Brussels on Monday night, overnight in India, and they have six points from two Nations League games.
Zidane had kept his celebrations quiet after the win in Izmit on Friday. Not this time. He sprinted down the touchline and swung a boot at a spare ball near the technical area. Asked about it afterwards, he grinned and said: “I don’t even know what I did.”
Three debutants in the starting side
Nine changes from the 1-0 win over Turkey in Izmit meant a very different France. Andy Diouf, Jeremy Jacquet and Lucas Da Cunha all made their debuts in the starting line-up, the first time France had started three debutants since August 2010.
They did not play like a reserve side. France had 65% of the ball at the King Baudouin Stadium, put seven shots on target and hit the woodwork twice. Desire Doue struck the crossbar in the first half and Da Cunha hit the post from distance in the second. Doue had five shots on his own, more than anyone on the pitch, and Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens finished with five saves.
Belgium’s best chance came on the break. Charles De Ketelaere released Dodi Lukebakio, who cut into the box and drove a low shot at Mike Maignan, and the France goalkeeper saved it.
Olise from the bench
Cherki found Olise inside his own half, and the Bayern Munich winger had the rest of the pitch in front of him. He carried it all the way to the edge of the box and curled his shot past Lammens into the bottom corner.
A rotation that big could easily have cost Zidane the game. Instead he is the fourth coach in the history of the France team to win his first two official matches, after Henri Guerin, Henri Michel and Aime Jacquet. He did it without Kylian Mbappe, who is out until mid-October with a left knee injury picked up against Turkey, and with Ousmane Dembele starting on the bench.
Van Bommel happy with the performance, if not the result
It was a first defeat for Mark van Bommel in his second game as Belgium coach, three days after his side won 2-0 in Rome. He was not about to criticise his players. “I told the boys that I cannot blame them for anything,” he said. “It is the details that determine whether you win or not. That was already the case at the World Cup. So we are on the right track.”
Then came the other half of it. “On the one hand, I am satisfied, but on the other you do still lose this match.”
Italy next for France
France top Group 1 with six points. Belgium and Italy, who beat Turkey 4-1 in Bursa on the same night, have three each, and Turkey are still without a point.
The next round is on Friday, 2 October. France host Italy at the Stade de France, and Belgium take on Turkey in Liege.