Zidane: What Ollise did was exceptional
Paris, AFP – French national team coach Zinedine Zidane praised the performance of substitute Michael Olise after he scored two goals in France’s dominant 4-1 victory over Belgium at the Stade de France in Paris. The match was part of the fourth round of League A, Group 1 of the UEFA Nations League.
After securing his first win in the French capital, Zidane said at a press conference: “Olise, what he did was simply exceptional.”
The Bayern Munich player was one of the stars of 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 his team’s deficit after Dodi Lukébakio had given Belgium an early lead (35th minute). The other substitute, Desiré Doué, completed the rout with a goal in the 77th minute.
Zidane added, referring to his first international camp as France’s coach, during which his side 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 better performances.”
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.
Italy has two matches remaining: one at home against France on November 12, and another away against host Belgium on November 15.
Speaking to Rai Uno after the win, Roberto Mancini said: “We struggled a bit at the start, but the match was good overall. 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 will be decided for us in our match against Belgium.”
At the end of the fourth round, France maintained top spot in the group with 10 points, followed by Italy with 7, Belgium with 6, and Turkey remaining winless with zero points.
