France appeared destined to leave Brussels with a frustrating draw. Belgium had defended with discipline, France had failed to turn its pressure into a goal, and the clock was rapidly running down.
Then Michael Olise produced a moment of individual brilliance.
The Bayern Munich forward came off the bench and scored in the 88th minute with a superb solo effort, giving France a 1–0 victory over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League at the King Baudouin Stadium. The victory kept France at the top of Group A1 with six points from two matches and maintained Zinedine Zidane’s perfect start as national-team coach.
A cagey beginning in Brussels
The match brought together two neighbouring football nations with plenty of recent history between them. But this time, the spotlight was also on two new managers.
Zidane was overseeing only his second match in charge of France after succeeding Didier Deschamps, while Belgium were playing their first home match under Mark van Bommel.
France arrived without captain Kylian Mbappé, who had returned to his club for treatment after suffering a knee injury in France’s opening Nations League victory over Türkiye. Zidane responded by making nine changes to the side that had started that match, with only goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Maxence Lacroix retaining their places.
Belgium, meanwhile, made only two changes following their impressive 2–0 victory away to Italy.
The contrast in team selection gave the match an intriguing character. France were experimenting with a significantly changed side, while Belgium were attempting to build momentum under their new coach.
France create the clearer chances
Despite the changes, France gradually took control of possession and began creating the better opportunities.
Désiré Doué was particularly influential. The young French attacker came close to breaking the deadlock when he struck the crossbar in the first half.
Belgium were not simply spectators, however. Dodi Lukébakio and Mika Godts caused problems from wide positions, while Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans helped Belgium compete in midfield.
The hosts’ defensive organisation also meant France struggled to find a clear path to goal.
At half-time, the scoreboard remained 0–0.
For Belgium, that was encouraging. France had enjoyed periods of control but had been unable to convert their possession into a goal. For Zidane, the challenge was finding the breakthrough without Mbappé and with a heavily rotated squad.
Belgium survive more French pressure
The second half continued in much the same fashion.
France remained dangerous, and their best opportunity came when Lucas Da Cunha struck the post early in the half. It was another indication that the visitors were getting closer, but the goal continued to elude them.
Belgium responded with their own spells of pressure.
Tielemans later reflected that Belgium had created chances and played with intensity, but failed to take advantage of their opportunities. Defender Brandon Mechele similarly argued that Belgium had given France very little and felt a draw would have been a fair reflection of the contest.
That assessment captured the nature of the match: France had more of the attacking initiative, but Belgium were competitive enough to make a French victory far from certain.
Zidane turns to Olise
With the game still goalless, Zidane made a decisive substitution.
In the 77th minute, Michael Olise entered the field, replacing Bradley Barcola.
Eleven minutes later, the substitution paid off spectacularly.
Olise collected possession inside his own half and began driving forward. He carried the ball through the Belgian midfield, advancing towards the edge of the penalty area before creating enough space for a shot.
Then came the finish.
Olise curled the ball beyond Senne Lammens and into the bottom-left corner.
Belgium 0–1 France.
The goal was Olise’s eighth for France and came with just two minutes of normal time remaining.
It was not a goal built from a long passing sequence or a defensive mistake. It was an individual intervention pace, composure and technique combined at precisely the moment France needed them.
Belgium’s late response
The goal left Belgium with little time to respond.
Van Bommel made late changes as the hosts searched for an equaliser, but France defended their advantage.
Belgium continued to push forward, and Matias Fernandez-Pardo had an opportunity in stoppage time, but his effort missed the target.
When the final whistle came, France had secured a narrow victory.
The result was particularly painful for Belgium because they had remained competitive throughout the match and had limited France to a relatively small number of clear opportunities.
Yet France had found the one moment that mattered most.
A perfect start for Zidane
For Zidane, the result carried significance beyond the three points.
The former France captain has begun his tenure with two consecutive 1–0 victories first away to Türkiye and now in Brussels against Belgium. France therefore sit on six points at the summit of Group A1. Belgium remain on three points after their opening victory over Italy. Italy also moved to three points after defeating Türkiye 4–1 on the same night.
Zidane was pleased with both the result and the performance.
After the match, he said France had been very good against a strong Belgium side and emphasised that his team had been brave and willing to play in the opposition half. He also praised the debutants who were given opportunities in the heavily rotated lineup.
The match saw several players make their France debuts, including Lucas Da Cunha, Jérémy Jacquet, Andy Diouf and Esteban Lepaul.
That makes the result particularly useful for Zidane. France not only collected maximum points but also gave valuable international experience to a number of players while their established stars were absent.
Belgium left with mixed emotions
For Belgium and Van Bommel, the result was harder to digest.
The Belgian coach said he could not fault his players, praising the intensity and quality they showed during the match. The disappointment in the dressing room was obvious, but Van Bommel also pointed to signs of progress.
That is perhaps the most accurate way to view Belgium’s night.
They lost, but they were not overwhelmed.
Belgium created chances, defended effectively and stayed in the contest until the final minutes. Their problem was that they could not produce the decisive action that Olise delivered for France.
As captain, Tielemans acknowledged the same issue: Belgium had played strongly and created opportunities, but needed to score during their good spell.
For almost 88 minutes, Belgium and France had been locked in a tactical contest.
France had the greater share of the initiative. Belgium had defended with discipline and threatened on the counter. Both teams had opportunities, and the match appeared to be heading towards a goalless draw.
Then Olise changed everything.
His run from inside his own half and composed finish transformed an otherwise tightly balanced encounter into a French victory.
For Belgium, it was a reminder of how narrow the margins can be at international level.
For France, it was another three points and another clean sheet.
And for Zidane, it was another winning night at the beginning of his new era.
Final score: Belgium 0–1 France.
Goal: Michael Olise 88′.
France now lead Nations League Group A1 with six points, while Belgium remain on three. France’s next match is against Italy, while Belgium are scheduled to face Türkiye.
