France 4–1 Belgium: Zidane’s subs spark a stunning comeback

France produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the UEFA Nations League so far on Monday night, overturning a 1–0 deficit to defeat Belgium 4–1 at the Stade de France.

For more than an hour, Belgium looked capable of inflicting a rare competitive defeat on their neighbours. Dodi Lukébakio had put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute, and France repeatedly struggled to break down a disciplined Belgian defensive block. But Zinédine Zidane’s changes transformed the match, with three substitutes Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise scoring all four of France’s goals in the final 14 minutes.

Belgium punish France’s early frustration

The opening half was a lesson in the difference between possession and penetration.

France controlled the ball but found little space against a Belgium side content to defend compactly and wait for opportunities to counter. The pattern was significant: according to Reuters, France had now gone eight consecutive matches without scoring in the first half.

Belgium eventually found the opening they wanted. In the 35th minute, Roméo Lavia launched a long pass behind the French defence. Lukébakio timed his run perfectly, escaped the attempted offside trap and raced through on Guillaume Restes before calmly finishing the one-on-one.

It was a particularly memorable moment for Restes, who was making his France debut. Belgium, meanwhile, had suddenly turned their defensive strategy into a tangible advantage.

Zidane turns to his bench

The defining decision of the night came after the interval. France had started without Kylian Mbappé, while Olise and Cherki were among the attacking talent available to Zidane from the bench. With Belgium continuing to frustrate the hosts, Zidane began to introduce his more creative options.

Olise and Cherki came on around the hour mark, followed later by Doué. The effect was immediate.

France began moving the ball with greater urgency and attacking Belgium with more variety. The visitors could no longer maintain the same defensive shape, and their goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt was increasingly exposed. He had already made several important saves before France finally found the breakthrough.

Doué starts the comeback

The equaliser arrived in the 77th minute. Doué received the ball on the edge of the area before cutting across goal and firing a left-footed shot beyond Vandevoordt. Suddenly, a match that had seemed to be slipping away from France was level.

Four minutes later, France completed the turnaround. Olise became the architect this time. His cross found Cherki, who finished to make it 2–1. The momentum had completely shifted.

Belgium had spent most of the night successfully limiting France’s attacking options. Within the space of four minutes, however, the visitors had gone from being in control of the result to chasing the game.

Olise puts the game beyond Belgium

If Doué and Cherki had sparked the comeback, Olise provided the spectacular finish.

The Bayern Munich winger first helped create Cherki’s goal and then scored twice himself in the closing stages. His first came in the 88th minute, before he added another in stoppage time to complete a remarkable 4–1 victory.

The final scoreline was emphatic, but it did not tell the whole story. For 76 minutes Belgium had been within sight of a famous result. France then scored four times in 14 minutes a spell UEFA described as the moment Les Bleus “turned the tide.”

The numbers tell an interesting story

France finished with 59% possession and nine corners to Belgium’s two, while registering eight shots on target compared with Belgium’s two.

Those numbers help explain why France ultimately deserved the victory, but they also highlight Belgium’s effectiveness for much of the contest. Possession alone had not been enough for Zidane’s side; the decisive difference was what happened after the substitutes arrived.

Indeed, all four French goals were scored by players who had started the match on the bench. That makes the victory as much a story about Zidane’s tactical intervention as individual brilliance.

A significant night for Zidane

The victory was also important for Zidane personally. It was his first home win as France coach, coming just three days after a 1–1 draw with Italy. More importantly, France remained unbeaten in Group A1 and strengthened their position at the top of the section.

After four matches, France have 10 points, three ahead of Italy and four clear of Belgium. Türkiye remain bottom without a point. Zidane’s own assessment captured the unusual nature of the evening. He acknowledged that France had struggled in the first half but praised the response after the break, describing the second half as extraordinary.

Belgium left to wonder what might have been

For Belgium, the defeat was particularly painful because the game had been so close to becoming a landmark victory.

Lukébakio’s goal had put them in an excellent position, and their defensive organisation repeatedly frustrated France. But once France increased the tempo and introduced Olise, Cherki and Doué, Belgium struggled to regain control.

The lesson for the Red Devils is a familiar one at international level: defending a lead against a team with France’s depth requires concentration for the full 90 minutes.

What the result means

The result gives France valuable breathing room at the top of Group A1 and, perhaps more importantly, demonstrates that Zidane has an extraordinary amount of attacking depth at his disposal.

France were hardly at their best for much of the evening. They were without Mbappé, struggled to penetrate Belgium’s block and went into the break behind. Yet their bench contained enough quality to completely change the match.

That is the most encouraging aspect for the French.

This was not a comfortable victory from start to finish. It was a comeback built on patience, tactical adjustments and an extraordinary burst of attacking quality.

For Belgium, it was a reminder of how quickly a promising performance can unravel against elite opposition.

For France, it was something better: a statement that even when the starting XI cannot find a solution, Zidane can look to his bench and unleash another one. And on Monday night in Paris, that bench changed everything.