Michael Olise scored a great late goal to help France beat Belgium 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League on Monday. This win marks Zinedine Zidane's second victory since he became coach.
Olise, who plays for Bayern Munich, was one of the standout players in the World Cup where France reached the semi-finals. He came off the bench late in the match in Brussels when the score was still 0-0. He started from inside his own half and scored the winning goal in the 88th minute.
This win comes after France's 1-0 victory over Turkey last Friday. This was Zidane's first match in charge after taking over from Didier Deschamps following the World Cup.
France now leads Nations League Group A1 with six points, three points ahead of Belgium and Italy. Italy won 4-1 against Turkey on Monday.
Les Bleus will face Italy next at the Stade de France on Friday. This match will be Zidane's return to his home ground. France will also host Belgium next Monday.
Zidane did not have his captain, Kylian Mbappe, for this match. The Real Madrid striker went back to his club for treatment after injuring his left knee while scoring the winner against Turkey.
The French lineup at the King Baudouin Stadium saw nine changes. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix were the only ones to keep their spots.
Lucas Da Cunha from Como made his debut in midfield. Esteban Lepaul from Rennes, who was the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, also made his debut in attack.
Belgium made only two changes from the team that won 2-0 against Italy last Friday. This was new coach Mark van Bommel's first home match.
France had more chances during the match. Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue hit the bar in the first half, and Da Cunha struck the post early in the second half.
The game looked like it would end goalless until Olise made his move. He came on in the 77th minute, replacing Liverpool winger Bradley Barcola.
Olise picked up the ball in his own half and ran all the way to the edge of the Belgian box. He curled a shot that went past Senne Lammens into the bottom-left corner of the net.




Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇