France beat Belgium 4-1 with four late substitute goals in Nations League

First-half deficit in Saint-Denis

France faced Belgium at the Stade de France on the fourth matchday of the UEFA Nations League, seeking their first home win under manager Zinedine Zidane. Zidane restructured the starting lineup following a 1-1 draw with Italy three days earlier, retaining only Ousmane Dembélé from that starting eleven. Jules Koundé, Eduardo Camavinga, Andy Diouf, Manu Koné, and Estéban Lepaul entered the side, while Guillaume Restes made his debut in goal in place of Mike Maignan. Belgium, coached by Mark van Bommel, competed without the suspended Kevin De Bruyne, deploying Romelu Lukaku up front alongside Diego Moreira and Dodi Lukebakio. Belgium opened the scoring in the 35th minute when Roméo Lavia recovered the ball in his own half and sent a low pass behind the French defense. Lukebakio outpaced central defender Maxence Lacroix and struck the ball into the top corner past Restes.

French pressure and second-half substitutions

France created several opportunities before and after the opening goal but struggled to beat Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, who was also making his international debut. Vandevoordt stopped a 15th-minute effort from Bradley Barcola and later turned away strikes from Dembélé, Lacroix, and Lepaul. France also claimed a penalty in the 26th minute when a Lepaul shot struck Lukebakio, though the referee ruled the defender's arm was tucked against his body. Zidane introduced four substitutes around the 60th minute, bringing on Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki, Lucas da Cunha, and Michael Olise. The changes transformed the French attack, producing an equalizer in the 77th minute when Da Cunha found Doué on the edge of the penalty box, where he scored with a low left-footed strike. Four minutes later, in the 81st minute, Olise delivered a low cross that Cherki converted from close range to give France a 2-1 lead.

Olise brace completes the victory

France maintained their attacking momentum in the final minutes as Doué and Olise combined repeatedly. In the 88th minute, Doué assisted Olise, who sent a low angled shot into the net for France's third goal. In the 91st minute, during stoppage time, Doué delivered his second assist of the evening, finding Olise inside the penalty box to slot the ball through Vandevoordt's legs. The sequence delivered four unanswered French goals within a span of 14 minutes and marked Zidane's first victory on home soil as French manager, observed from the stands by members of France's 1998 World Cup squad.

Group A1 standings after four matchdays

The 4-1 result kept France top of UEFA Nations League Group A1 with 10 points from four matches. In the other group fixture on Monday, Italy secured a 3-1 home win against Turkey, marking their third consecutive game without a loss. Italy scored through Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori, and Pio Esposito, while Aral Simsir provided Turkey's sole goal just past the hour mark. The results left Italy second with seven points, Belgium third with six points, and Turkey at the bottom of the standings with zero points after four consecutive defeats.