Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise delivered a moment of late brilliance, scoring from deep inside his own half to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory for France over Belgium in their UEFA Nations League Group A encounter at the King Baudouin Stadium. The decisive strike in the 88th minute moved Les Bleus to six points from two matches under new manager Zinedine Zidane, placing them at the summit of their group table following an opening win against Turkey.
Playing without their injured captain Kylian Mbappe, France leaned heavily on tactical contributions from a youthful attacking lineup. Young talents Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola caused problems for the Belgian defense early on, with Doué striking the crossbar during a dynamic opening ten minutes of play. Despite controlling long stretches of possession, France struggled to find the back of the net against a stubborn Belgian backline orchestrated by manager Mark van Bommel.
Belgium pressed hard through captain Kevin De Bruyne and striker Charles De Ketelaere. The hosts nearly broke the deadlock early in the first half, but French defender Pierre Kalulu cleared a dangerous effort off the goal line after goalkeeper Mike Maignan was beaten. Both sides traded chances through an intense, high-tempo opening half that ended scoreless despite 14 total shots.
Zidane’s Tactical Gambles Pay Off in Brussels
Zidane shuffled his tactical pack in the second half, introducing fresh legs to break down the resilient Belgian defense. France continued to create opportunities when debutant Lucas Da Cunha hit the post with a powerful long-range strike in the 53rd minute. Belgian substitute Dodi Lukebakio also forced a crucial one-on-one save from Maignan following a midfield turnover.
With the match hanging in the balance, Zidane turned to his bench, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé in the 68th minute, followed by Rayan Cherki and match-winner Michael Olise in the 77th minute. The gamble ultimately yielded perfection. In the 88th minute, Cherki fed a pass to Olise. Olise collected the ball, launched a brilliant solo diagonal run from his own half, slipped past his marker, and drilled a precise left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Match Statistics and Group Standings
- Final Score: Belgium 0, France 1
- Competition: UEFA Nations League (Group A1)
- Winning Goal: Michael Olise (88′)
- France Group Standing: 1st place (6 points from 2 matches)
- Belgium Group Standing: 3rd place (3 points)
The narrow defeat marked Belgium’s first loss of the tournament, leaving them level with Italy on three points in Group A1. Meanwhile, Zidane’s side extended their winning streak in head-to-head matches against their neighbors. France will look to maintain their perfect start when they face Italy on Friday, while Belgium prepares to take on Turkey in their upcoming fixture.
