Van Bommel refuses to fault ‘seven out of 10’ Belgium after France defeat

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

Mark van Bommel refused to criticise his Belgium players following their agonising Nations League defeat to France, rating their performance a “seven out of 10” and arguing they are on the right track.

Michael Olise’s solo goal in the 88th minute settled Monday’s contest in Brussels, as France went top of Group A1 in the Nations League with two wins from two games. 

While Les Bleus boast a perfect record under new boss Zinedine Zidane, Belgium have registered one win and one loss under Van Bommel, having triumphed 2-0 in Italy on Friday.

France had 18 shots to Belgium’s 12 and hit the target on seven occasions, compared to the hosts’ two, while Zidane’s team also won the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.22 to 0.69.

But Van Bommel was still broadly pleased with the Red Devils’ efforts, ahead of a home game against Turkiye on Friday and a return trip to France next Monday.

“They all deserve at least a seven out of 10,” Van Bommel noted. “I have nothing to fault them for. These are intelligent and quality players. 

“We should not be critical; we are on the right track. Our way of pressing, our changes on the wings, and our way of creating chances were good. 

“We can see the idea behind our actions. You could feel that everyone was enjoying themselves. The details are well mastered. We simply didn’t manage to score.”

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) September 28, 2026

France were without captain Kylian Mbappe due to a hyperextension in his left knee, while Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki were all introduced from the bench.

Esteban Lepaul and Maghnes Akliouche started in attack, alongside Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue and recent Liverpool signing Bradley Barcola, but Van Bommel was still under no illusions regarding the strength of France’s lineup.

“We cannot say that we played against a B team. It was a solid team,” he added. “Of course, France are further ahead than us. I can’t deny that.

“On Monday, we might be even more challenged at their place. This is only our first week together, we must not forget that. 

“Our goal is the Euros in two years, but I am very happy with our performance.”

While Belgium host Turkiye in their next Nations League fixture, France welcome Roberto Mancini’s Italy to the Stade de France on Friday, with Mbappe still sidelined. 

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