Van Bommel insists France did not outplay Belgium

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Mark van Bommel insists Belgium were not outplayed by France, despite giving up a late lead in a 4-1 Nations League defeat.

Belgium looked set to earn a famous victory against Les Bleus, with Dodi Lukebakio’s 35th-minute goal the difference for much of the match.

However, Zinedine Zidane’s substitutes turned the game on its head; Desire Doue equalised in the 77th minute, with Rayan Cherki giving them the lead shortly after. A Michael Olise brace then rounded off the encounter.

It was Belgium’s second loss to France this international break, with wins against Italy and Turkiye leaving them on six points from four games in Group A1.

France largely dominated, even before their goals, with 65.6% possession, 23 shots – eight of which were on target – and 2.0 expected goals (xG).

By contrast, Belgium had five attempts, hitting the target with two of them, and generated just 0.6 xG, with 0.04 of that coming in the second half.

“The first ten minutes we had some trouble with the French pressure,” said Van Bommel.

“We were too restless at times, but gradually our organisation got better, and we were even able to take the lead with a world goal. A fantastic pass from Romeo [Lavia] and excellently finished by Lukebakio.

“When we got control, we were able to play through it; only those moments were short.

Thank you for your support in Paris. https://t.co/ehFziz7Zib

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) October 6, 2026

“They [France] have so much quality in the team, also with their substitutions, then it suddenly went very fast.

“But despite the result, we have not been outplayed here. I won’t deny that we suffered a big defeat, but I have seen in the past two weeks that the boys have worked well and showed great things.

“It’s a shame about this fifteen minutes, because I saw more positive than negative things in these four matches.”

Belgium currently sit third in Group A1, just one point behind Italy and four off leaders France.

They travel to Turkiye first in the next international break, before rounding off the Nations League group stage at home against Italy on November 15.

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