Old hand Olise rewards Zidane's fresh blood adventure in Belgium

Michael Olise came off the substitutes bench on Monday night to score a sensational late goal for France against Belgium to give new boss Zinedine Zidane his second victory in two matches. Issued on: 28/09/2026 - 23:52 3 min Reading time Olise and Ryan Cherki entered the fray at the Koning Boudewijnstadion in Brussels in the 77th minute as replacements for Bradley Barcola and Magnes Akliouche respectively. With two minutes of the game remaining, Olise proved decisive on his 28th international appearance. The Bayern Munich striker picked up the ball in his own half and sped past Belgium defender Maxime De Cuyper towards the Belgium penalty area where he bamboozled Brandon Mechele and slotted the ball past the Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens. It was the 24-year-old's first goal for France in nine games. Zidane ran down the sidelines to celebrate, kicking a spare ball high into the stands as France players engulfed Olise. Though Belgium mounted a frantic attempt to level, France held firm to take control of their Nations League pool and vindicate Zidane's gambit. Victory without skipper Mbappé Missing injured skipper Kylian Mbappé, Zidane opted for boldness rather than caution. He retained only goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Maxence Lacroix from the side that began the 1-0 win over Turkey in Izmit on Friday. Zidane stresses role as second fiddle to France players ahead of Turkey clash Defenders Andy Diouf, Jeremy Jacquet and Pierre Kalulu were all named in the starting line-up for the first time along with international debutants Lucas Da Cunha in midfield and Esteban Lepaul in attack. Zinedine Zidane took over from Didier Deschamps as France head coach in July. REUTERS - Omar Havana After an initial flurry from the hosts, France dominated possession. Désiré Doué rattled the crossbar with a shot from distance after 12 minutes and Akliouche tested the Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens from a free-kick. Belgium, also boasting a new head coach in the shape of the former Netherlands international Mark van Bommel, threatened sporadically. Veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne went close in the second-half, curling a shot just past Maignan's post. And Dodi Lukébakio thrashed an effort at goal in the 79th minute that took Maignan two attempts to bring under control. De Ketelaere shines as Belgium trump US to advance to World Cup quarter-finals After the game Zidane hailed Olise as well as the squad. “I saw him [Olise] start dribbling and I thought to myself: ‘He’s going to score,’" said Zidane. "I was right behind him. Tonight, we were very good in every area, especially in our pressing. "We put things in place against a strong Belgian side. We held our ground and we were brave. We weren’t afraid to get into their half. That’s what I like. What’s great is that everyone’s involved. That’s what we love.” Italy rebound after Belgium defeat In the other game in League A Group 1, Italy recovered from their opening round defeat to Belgium with a 4-1 waltz past Turkey in Bursa. Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi and Michael Kayode were on target as Italy raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time. Barış Alper Yılmaz pulled one back for Turkey just after the restart but Francesco Pio Esposito restored the three-goal advantage in the 50th minute. France set the pace France lead Group 1 with six points from their two games. Belgium and Italy have three points and Turkey prop up the pool with no points after two defeats. Zidane's first home game as France coach comes on Friday when his side welcome Italy to the Stade de France – the arena where his two goals in the 1998 World Cup final inspired France to a 3-0 victory over Brazil and their first World Cup trophy. France then host Belgium at the same venue on 5 October for their fourth game in the group. The top two from the four groups in League A advance to the last eight next March. The semi-finals will be played on 9 and 10 June 2027 and the final on 13 June.