France rallied against Belgium for a 4-1 Nations League victory. Michael Olise scored twice as substitutes transformed play.
France scored four times in the final 15 minutes to overcome Belgium 4-1 on Monday in the UEFA Nations League, giving coach Zinedine Zidane his first home victory since taking charge of the national team. Belgium led for much of the match before France produced a decisive late comeback at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Belgium took the lead in the 35th minute when Dodi Lukebakio finished an attacking move to put the visitors ahead. France controlled much of the possession but struggled to convert that advantage into goals, leaving Belgium in position to claim a significant result in Group A1.
Zidane made extensive changes to his starting lineup, with France playing without captain Kylian Mbappe. The coach’s substitutions proved decisive, as Désiré Doué came on and equalized in the 77th minute. Four minutes later, Rayan Cherki put France ahead after receiving the ball from Olise.
Olise then took control of the closing stages. The Bayern Munich winger scored France’s third goal before adding another in stoppage time, completing a two-goal performance that turned a one-goal deficit into a three-goal victory. The result followed Olise’s decisive late goal in France’s 1-0 win over Belgium in Brussels on Sept. 28.
The victory strengthened France’s position at the top of Group A1. UEFA’s official results show France on 10 points after four matches, ahead of Italy on seven and Belgium on six, with Türkiye at the bottom after four defeats. The league phase continues through November, with the leading teams advancing toward the competition’s knockout stages.
For Zidane, the result continued an unbeaten start to his tenure and provided his first home win in charge. France had drawn 1-1 with Italy in its previous match at the Stade de France, while its earlier victories under Zidane included the 1-0 win over Türkiye and the previous victory against Belgium.
Information was reported by Reuters and ESPN, with match results and competition details verified against UEFA’s official Nations League records.