Zinedine Zidane changed nine players and still walked away with a win.
Michael Olise made sure of it, sprinting from inside his own half and curling home an 88th-minute winner that gave France a 1-0 victory over Belgium in Brussels on Monday.
The result gives Zidane two wins from two since he replaced Didier Deschamps after the World Cup, and it puts France top of Nations League Group A1 on six points.
A bold reshuffle
Zidane gambled at the King Baudouin Stadium. Only goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Maxence Lacroix kept their places. Lucas Da Cunha made his debut in midfield, while Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul, last season’s Ligue 1 top scorer, led the attack for the first time.
The rotation followed an injury blow. Kylian Mbappe flew back to Real Madrid for treatment on a left knee he hurt while scoring the winner against Turkey.
France still dominated the chances. Desire Doue smashed a first-half effort against the bar, and Da Cunha rattled the post after the break. Yet Belgium, who had made just two changes under new coach Mark van Bommel, held firm and dragged the match toward a stalemate.
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Olise breaks the deadlock
Zidane turned to his bench in the 77th minute and sent Olise on for Bradley Barcola. The Bayern Munich winger needed eleven minutes. He collected the ball in his own half, drove past the midfield and into the Belgian box, then bent a left-footed finish into the bottom corner beyond Senne Lammens.
Olise shone at the World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals, and this goal added another highlight to his year.
Italy answer in style
France’s next opponents made a statement of their own. Roberto Mancini collected his first win since returning as Italy boss, and his side flattened Turkiye 4-1.
Italy needed only 27 minutes to build a three-goal lead. Alessandro Bastoni bundled in a corner in the ninth minute, Davide Frattesi pounced on a rebound in the 22nd, and debutant Michael Kayode scored on his first international appearance five minutes later.
Turkiye hit back 76 seconds after the restart, when Baris Alper Yilmaz finished off a cross. Italy responded quickly, though. Altay Bayindir’s careless pass allowed Sandro Tonali to test the post, and Francesco Pio Esposito headed in the rebound in the 50th minute. Turkiye then had a Yilmaz goal chalked off for offside and wasted a series of late chances.
The night embarrassed Vincenzo Montella, who had promised his players would win. Italy scored three times inside 30 minutes for the first time since a 2021 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania, and they netted four in the Nations League for the first time since beating Israel in October 2024.
What comes next
The table now shows France on six points, with Belgium and Italy on three apiece. Italy visit the Stade de France on Friday, and the occasion doubles as Zidane’s homecoming. France then host Belgium next Monday.
Zidane’s squad depth has passed its first test. Friday will show whether Italy’s attacking momentum can break it.
