Zidane salue la victoire de la France face à la Belgique en Ligue des nations

France Defeats Belgium in Nations League

France secured a 4-1 victory over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on October 5, 2026, at the Stade France, highlighting a night where late substitutions completely overturned the match.

Late Goals Reverse Match Outcome at the Stade de France

The contest remained tightly contested until the second-half introduction of substitutes Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki, and Michael Olise shifted momentum. Doué equalized with a left-footed ground shot in the 77th minute. Cherki added a deflected strike in the 81st minute before Olise scored twice—once with his right foot in the 88th minute and again with his left in stoppage time—to prevent Belgium from securing a competitive win against France for the first time since 1981.

Zidane Evaluates Squad Rotation After First International Window

Zinédine Zidane expressed satisfaction with his first fifteen-day international window as head coach, noting that the heavy squad rotation was planned to evaluate all available players across four matches. Cela s’est passé comme je voulais. Ce n’était pas évident. Il fallait faire quatre équipes compétitives. C’est encourageant. Je suis très optimiste pour la suite. The coach also acknowledged the presence of Aimé Jacquet in the stands, stating: Mémé, c’est la bienveillance, il aimait ses joueurs. C’est ce qu’il transmettait. De la confiance, de la liberté, et de la bienveillance. Il est beau comme… C’est ce que je lui ai dit. Discussing individual performances, Zidane noted that goalkeeper Guillaume Restes played well throughout the training camp to prepare for potential duties should Mike Maignan be unavailable, explaining: J’ai pris cette décision de faire jouer Guillaume car il a besoin de sentir ce qu’est l’équipe de France sur le terrain s’il se passe quelque chose avec Mike (Maignan). Je suis satisfait de ce qu’il a fait. Il a été exemplaire avec ses copains. Regarding the team’s areas for improvement, the manager added: On verra dans quel domaine on doit progresser.

Romeo Lavia Improves After Injury Struggles at Chelsea

Romeo Lavia's performance with the national team shows he is improving after a difficult start at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea paid £53 million to sign the midfielder from Southampton in 2023, but recurring injuries limited him to 29 Premier League appearances across his first three seasons. Having featured in four of Chelsea’s opening five league matches of the season, Lavia is translating his underlying potential into regular performances.

The qualification for the quarterfinals remains open as France prepares for its final two Group 1 fixtures in November against Italy and Turkey. Meanwhile, players return to their respective clubs.

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