France 4-1 Belgium: Late goals seal dramatic Nations League win
France produced a breathtaking late blitz to come from behind and thrash Belgium 4-1 in their Nations League Group A1 clash at the Stade de France, handing Zinedine Zidane his first home victory as head coach in spectacular fashion. What looked set to be a frustrating evening for Les Bleus was transformed into a statement win as three substitutes combined to score four goals in the final 14 minutes and leave the visitors shell-shocked.
Belgium had led through Dodi Lukebakio’s clinical 35th-minute finish. The forward latched onto a precise long ball from Romeo Lavia, racing clear of a French defence caught high up the pitch and slotting past debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes in a one-on-one. It was a rare moment of quality in a first half in which France dominated possession but lacked the cutting edge to break down a resolute Belgian rearguard.
Zidane’s side continued to control the ball after the interval, yet the equaliser remained elusive until the manager turned to his bench. The introduction of Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise changed everything. Doué, on for Bradley Barcola, needed just a few minutes to make his mark. Receiving the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the area in the 77th minute, the Paris Saint-Germain forward spun sharply and arrowed a low left-footed drive into the far corner to level the scores.
Four minutes later the turnaround was complete. Olise, another substitute, drove purposefully to the byline and cut the ball back for Cherki, who finished emphatically from close range. The Stade de France erupted as the hosts suddenly found themselves in front after trailing for more than an hour.
Belgium had no answer to the wave of French attacks that followed. In the 88th minute Olise held off a challenge from Nicolas Raskin before firing across goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt to make it 3-1. There was still time for more. Deep into stoppage time Doué slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Olise, who coolly slotted home between Vandevoordt’s legs to complete his brace and seal a remarkable 4-1 victory.
The result left France top of the group on 10 points after four matches, three clear of Italy, while Belgium’s hopes of progressing took a heavy blow. Zidane, whose side had drawn 1-1 with Italy three days earlier, was full of praise for the character shown. “That’s football, that’s what we love,” he said. “There were difficulties, but we put things right with an extraordinary second half.”
For all their early dominance, France had looked short of ideas until the substitutes injected pace, invention and clinical finishing. Olise, in particular, was outstanding after coming on, contributing a goal and an assist in a whirlwind finale that turned a potential setback into one of the most memorable nights of Zidane’s fledgling reign. Belgium, who had defended stoutly for so long, simply could not live with the quality that eventually overwhelmed them.
