Zidane Laments France's Weak Attacking Performance Against Belgium

France national team coach Zinedine Zidane praised the performance of substitute Michael Olise after he scored two goals in France’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Belgium at the Stade de France in Paris. The match was part of Matchday 4 of League A, Group 1 of the UEFA Nations League.

After securing his first win as head coach in the French capital, Zidane said at a press conference: “Olise, what he did was simply exceptional.”

The Bayern Munich midfielder was one of the stars for Les Bleus after coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute. He scored two goals (in the 88th and 90+1st minutes) and provided a decisive assist for fellow substitute Riyad Mahrez (81st minute), overturning Belgium’s 1-0 lead, which had been established by Dodi Lukebakio (35th minute). The other substitute, Desire Doue, completed the rout with a goal in the 77th minute.

Zidane added, referring to his first international camp as France coach, during which the team has won three of four matches: “This is encouraging, and I am very optimistic about the future. I am happy with the results; we have collected 10 points. Regardless of the wins and points, the greatest satisfaction comes from the good work we have done with the players and the coaching staff. It was very important to spend 15 days playing at a high quality. There are aspects that need improvement, but this will happen gradually. We can deliver a better performance.”

The former midfield star expressed regret only for the “lack of attacking effectiveness in the final 25-30 meters, as was the case in the previous three matches.”

In another match in the same group, Italy secured a convincing 3-1 victory over Turkey in Bologna, keeping their hopes alive for reaching the quarter-finals. Goals for the Azzurri came from Gianluca Scamacca (26th minute), Riccardo Calafiori (64th minute), and Pietro Spaziani (87th minute), while Arda Güler scored for Turkey (61st minute).

Italy has two matches remaining: at home against France on November 12, and away against host Belgium on November 15. After the match, Italian national team coach Roberto Mancini urged his players to continue their good form and results during the current international break, emphasizing that qualification for the quarter-finals will be decided on Belgian soil.

Mancini told Rai Uno after the win: “We struggled a bit at the start, but overall the match was good. With so many changes, it was natural to lose some cohesion, but the team showed good resilience and responded quickly after Turkey’s equalizer.”

He added, “We must continue on this path in November; everything for us will be decided in our match against Belgium.”

At the end of Matchday 4, France topped the group with 10 points, followed by Italy with 7, Belgium with 6, while Turkey remained winless with zero points.