France produced a stunning late comeback to beat Belgium 4-1 in the Nations League, with four goals in 14 minutes giving Zinedine Zidane his first home victory as national team coach.
Les Bleus looked set for a frustrating night at the Stade de France after falling behind to Dodi Lukébakio’s first-half strike. But France’s substitutes changed the contest completely, producing a devastating attacking burst from the 77th minute.
Désiré Doué started the comeback before Rayan Cherki’s fortunate effort put France ahead. Michael Olise then took centre stage, scoring twice in quick succession to turn a narrow deficit into a convincing victory.
The result strengthened France’s grip on Group A1, leaving them three points clear of Italy, who defeated Türkiye 3-1 in the other group fixture.
Belgium remain third and are now four points behind France, while Türkiye sit bottom without a point.
For Zidane, the victory was another encouraging step in his early spell in charge of Les Bleus. The France legend had already overseen victories against Türkiye and Belgium before his side drew with Italy in his first home match on Friday.
“Tonight, this is soccer, this is what we love,” Zidane said after the game. “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.”
France dominated possession for long periods but struggled to turn their control into clear chances before Belgium delivered the first major blow.
Lukébakio opened the scoring in the 35th minute after beating France’s offside trap and racing through on goal. Romeo Lavia’s excellent long pass released the Belgian forward, who powered his finish beyond debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes.
The goal gave Belgium something to protect, and France were unable to find an immediate response.
Zidane’s bench, however, proved decisive.
Doué brought France level in the 77th minute with a composed low finish into the bottom-right corner. Just four minutes later, Cherki completed the turnaround in bizarre circumstances.
The French attacker saw his effort appear to be heading towards a routine save from Belgium goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt. Instead, the ball struck the goalkeeper’s foot before rebounding off his left arm and into the net.
France suddenly had the lead.
Olise then put the result beyond doubt, scoring twice within three minutes to complete a remarkable 14-minute attacking explosion.
The Bayern Munich forward’s contribution underlined the strength available to Zidane from his substitutes, but the France boss was quick to credit the entire squad rather than focus solely on the players who changed the game.
“We knew the substitutes could change the game because they are high-quality players,” Zidane said. “But, once again, it was a complete team performance; while the substitutes might have made the difference when they came on, everyone has been good over these past two weeks — everyone played their part, and that’s what stands out to me.”
Olise echoed his manager’s assessment, highlighting how quickly the players have adapted to Zidane’s ideas.
“It’s a collective effort, too,” Olise said. “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.”
Despite the emphatic victory, France have not yet officially secured their place in the Nations League quarterfinals.
Les Bleus will complete their group-stage campaign during the November international window, when they face Italy and Türkiye.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals next year, meaning France will be looking to finish the job and maintain their position at the top of Group A1.
For now, though, Zidane can celebrate a night in which his substitutes turned potential frustration into a statement victory.
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