Michael Olise came off the bench to snatch France a late 1-0 victory over Belgium in the Nations League to continue their 100% start.


2026/2027 UEFA Nations League

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Match Report

It looked like Zinedine Zidane's side were set to be frustrated in the injured Kylian Mbappe's absence, but Olise took just 11 minutes after his introduction to score the winner at Stade Roi Baudouin.

France started brightly, and Desire Doue almost scored a stunning opener just 12 minutes in; he twisted away from his marker and slalomed into the box before firing his shot against the crossbar.

Doue almost turned provider shortly after as he whipped a delightful cross in from the right, and though Esteban Depaul quickly adjusted his feet, his first-time effort was straight at Senne Lammens.

Maghnes Akliouche's free-kick was then spilled by Lammens, who jumped straight back up to smother Depaul's follow-up. But Romeo Lavia was then needed on the line to deny Pierre Kalulu.

Doue continued to provide the sparkle for France and bent a whipped effort narrowly wide seven minutes after the break.

Two minutes later, Lucas da Cunha came close to a debut goal with his fizzed effort through the crowded box, but it struck the foot of the right post.

Belgium grew into the game the longer it went on, with substitute Dodi Lukebakio surging forward in the 73rd minute to poke a shot on goal, which Mike Maignan smothered.

Lukebakio stung Maignan's palms shortly after with a powerful low effort, and though the goalkeeper failed to hold it on the first attempt, no Belgian player was following in.

France's quality eventually told, however, as Olise latched onto fellow substitute Rayan Cherki's pass and strode forward from the halfway line before curling a lovely finish into the bottom right corner in the 88th minute.

LES BLEUS GRAB THE WIN IN BELGIUM

0-1 l #BELFRA pic.twitter.com/uagQyQOPdt

— French Team (@FrenchTeam) September 28, 2026

France get over the line after a stuttering attacking display

France's wealth of attacking talent is clear for all to see, but Mbappe is the lynchpin, having also scored the winner against Turkiye last time out when Les Bleus had struggled to break their opponents down.

Zidane shuffled his pack, leaving an obvious replacement in Ousmane Dembele – who entered the fray in the second half – on the bench.

Three players made their debuts as starters in France's team (Andy Diouf, Jeremy Jacquet and Da Cunha), a first since August 2010, when there were six debutants in the line-up.

France certainly had plenty of chances to put the game to bed, racking up 18 shots with seven of those on target, with their attempts amounting to 1.15 expected goals (xG).

Doue was their best outlet, having five shots himself, with two of those testing Lammens and another hitting the woodwork. He had a game-high 16 touches in the opposition box, and also created four chances for his team-mates.

But it was Olise who turned the tide, pulling out a high-quality goal to spare France's blushes and ensure Zidane made it two wins from two.

Belgium will feel the game was theirs for the taking, having held off France for so long, but their first shot on target did not come until the 73rd minute, and when Matias Fernandez-Pardo had a golden opportunity to snatch a draw at the end, he went down too easily as he fired wide, with no penalty forthcoming.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

12' Doué unleashes a shot, but he's unlucky to see it crash off the crossbar

16' Lepaul side-foot the ball into the hands of Senne Lammens from around 12 yards out

19' Lammens makes a save to deny Barcola's effort

21' Barcola gets down in the box but the ref says nothing

25' De Bruyne spots Maignan off his line and tries an audacious chip

26' Doue gets down in the box but the ref says no penalty

28' Akliouche has a free-kick which is saved

36' Godts has cut inside again from the left-hand side but his effort on goal is wide

42' Yellow Card! Diego Moreira booked for a foul on Kalulu

51' Doué's effort had Senne Lammens scampering, but it's just wide

54' CLOSE! Da Cunha's strike comes off the base of the post and away to safety

57' Doué rifles a venomous drive towards goal and Lepaul can't direct goalward on the rebound

57' Yellow Card! De Bruyne booked

62' Doué managed to get away from a cluster of Belgian bodies and fire an effort on goal

68' Dembele comes on to replace Lepaul

77' Olise and Cherki sub on

80' Highlight from Belgium vs France

88' GOAL! Olise scores at last moment by himself! Belgium 0-1 France



Line-ups

Belgium XI: De Bruyne, Mechele, Tielemans, Castagne, Senne Lammens, De Ketelaere, Nathan Ngoy, Lavia, Diego Moreira, Joaquin Seys, Mika Godts

Subs: Lukaku, Vanaken, Dodi Lukébakio, Openda, Jari De Busser, Nicolas Raskin, Maarten Vandevoordt, Maxim De Cuyper, Koni De Winter, Zeno Debast, Mandela Keita, Matias Fernandez-Pardo

France XI: Maignan, Maxence Lacroix, Lucas Da Cunha, Camavinga, Kalulu, Estéban Lepaul, Barcola, Andy Diouf, Maghnes Akliouche, Doue, Jérémy Jacquet

Subs: Rabiot, Jean Butez, Dembele, Upamecano, Kounde, Cherki, Manu Koné, Olise, Adrien Truffert, Yoro, Guillaume Restes