Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Zinedine Zidane hailed France’s “complete team performance” after they came from behind to beat Belgium in the Nations League.
France triumphed 4-1 at the Stade de France, but Zidane’s unbeaten start with Les Bleus looked under real threat when they still trailed through Dodi Lukebakio’s 35th-minute goal heading into the final 13 minutes.
However, Zidane’s substitutions more than paid off, with Desire Doue drawing France level before Rayan Cherki put them ahead four minutes later.
And a three-minute brace from Michael Olise, who also set up Cherki’s goal, then rounded off the scoring to give France a stunning win that puts them within touching distance of the quarter-finals.
France were completely dominant, with the scoreline eventually reflecting that, and Zidane revelled in the stunning comeback victory.
“This is soccer, this is what we love,” Zidane said.
“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.
Les Bleus finish the international break top of their Nations League group with 10 points 3 wins 1 draw 7 goals scored 2 more matches on the schedule in November, against Italy and Türkiye https://t.co/2hjSi1c8WJ
— French Team (@FrenchTeam) October 5, 2026
“We knew the substitutes could change the game because they are high-quality players.
“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.”
Doue, Cherki and Olise were all spellbinding. Each of them crafted two chances, while Olise ended up having four shots, a total bettered only by Ousmane Dembele (five).
Olise has scored in his last three games in the Nations League (four goals), with no France player netting more than him in this international break.
“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.”
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