Zinedine Zidane Praises France’s Remarkable Comeback Led by Michael Olise Against Belgium in Nations League

Michael Olise's two goals sparked an incredible turnaround for France, inspiring a thrilling 4-1 victory over Belgium in the Nations League. This marked Zinedine Zidane's first win at home as the French manager.

Substitutes Shift Momentum in 14-Minute Goal Frenzy

Trailing until late, France overturned a one-goal deficit at the Stade de France during an electrifying 14-minute spell. Three second-half substitutes—Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki, and Michael Olise—scored four goals to seal the win, boosting France’s position atop Group A1.

• Desire Doue: Equalized in the 77th minute with a precise low shot to the bottom right corner.
• Rayan Cherki: Capitalized on a goalkeeper error four minutes later to give France the lead.
• Michael Olise: Netted twice in three minutes to complete the comeback.

This result leaves France three points ahead of Italy, who beat Turkey 3-1 on the same night.

Belgium’s Early Lead Fades Against France’s Resilience

Belgium stunned the home crowd when Dodi Lukebakio scored in the 35th minute, breaking through the offside trap to finish a long pass from Romeo Lavia past debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes. Despite this early strike, France struggled until Zidane’s tactical changes transformed the match.

Zidane Applauds Team Effort and Second-Half Performance

“Tonight, this is soccer, this is what we love,” Zidane said, as quoted by ESPN. “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 also credited the collective effort, stating, “He [Zidane] brings in ideas, we follow them—we’ve done that well over the last four matches, we’re going to continue like this.”

France Close to Nations League Quarter-Final Qualification

With this win, France edges closer to securing a spot in the quarter-finals, where the top two teams from each group advance next year. Although they would have guaranteed qualification if Italy had dropped points against Turkey, the French must wait until their final international break.

In November, France will face an important away match against Italy before hosting Turkey in their concluding Group A1 fixture.