France vs Belgium: Olise drives a 4

Saint Denis witnessed a frustrating evening turn into a four goal French finish. However, Belgium held the lead until the final quarter hour. France vs Belgium ended 4-1 on Monday, October 5, after three substitutes changed everything.

Michael Olise scored twice, while Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki completed the comeback. Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane collected his third victory in four international matches.

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France vs Belgium rewards Zidane’s bench

France finished this UEFA Nations League fixture with ten points from four matches. Nevertheless, the final score concealed a long struggle against Belgium’s compact defending. Two group matches still remain.

Zidane rotated his starting side and left several attacking creators on the bench. Injured captain Kylian Mbappé also missed the match at the Stade de France.

Initially, the hosts circulated possession without consistently opening routes through Belgium’s defensive lines. Their opponents protected the penalty area and waited for opportunities to break forward. However, Belgium’s first half forced France to find something beyond territorial control. The task required sharper combinations and better movement around the box.

UEFA’s match report identifies the bench as the source of the turnaround. All four French goals came from players who started among the substitutes.

Lukébakio strikes before halftime

Dodi Lukébakio opened the scoring in the 35th minute after Roméo Lavia’s pass. Belgium found space behind the French defence and punished the hosts.

¡¡SORPRESA BELGA EN EL STADE DE FRANCE!! Asistencia perfecta de Lavia para Lukebakio, que luego de una gran diagonal, definió con un zurdazo al ángulo para el 1-0 de los Diablos Rojos ante Francia. 📺 Toda la #NationsLeague por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/iwgSV2Omy9
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 5, 2026

Consequently, debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes faced an immediate setback in his first international appearance. France reached halftime behind despite enjoying more of the ball.

Belgium’s approach offered a familiar problem for anyone following LigaPro or international football. Possession counts for little when defenders can protect central spaces without breaking their shape. Meanwhile, France needed to avoid leaving its defensive line exposed during attacks.

That tension made the next changes more significant than simply adding fresh legs. Zidane needed players capable of creating openings against an organized defense. Before the interval, French attackers had struggled to turn possession into a scoring response. Belgium could therefore enter the dressing room with its approach still working.

Three changes transform France’s attack

The French federation’s official match sheet places Olise and Cherki’s introductions at 60 minutes. They replaced Ousmane Dembélé and Maghnes Akliouche, respectively.

Tranqui el banco de Francia. Perdiendo 1-0 ante Bélgica, Zidane mandó a OLISE, CHERKI y DA CUNHA al campo de juego... 🔥🇫🇷 📺 Toda la #NationsLeague por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/nupvjzUjjt
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 5, 2026

Moreover, Lucas Da Cunha replaced Manu Koné one minute later. Doué followed in the 72nd minute, taking Bradley Barcola’s place.

Those Zidane substitutions preceded the decisive attacking sequence rather than an immediate equaliser. France still had to work through Belgium’s resistance.

Then Doué struck left-footed in the 77th minute, bringing the hosts level. Four minutes later, Cherki finished after Olise supplied the opening.

¡¡LA MANO DE ZIZOU!! Toque de Da Cunha, giro y GOLAZO de Doué, con un zurdazo desde afuera del área, para el 1-1 de Francia ante Bélgica... ¡ambos ingresaron desde el banco de suplentes! 📺 Toda la #NationsLeague por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/jreF890j3t
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 5, 2026

Together, those goals changed Belgium’s task from protecting a lead to chasing the game. Therefore, the momentum shift involved the scoreboard as well as France’s improved attacking connections.

¡¡LO DIO VUELTA FRANCIA, EN UNA RÁFAGA, DE LA MANO DE SUS CRACKS!! Control de pecho de Olise, gambeta, centro atrás y zurdazo de Cherki, para marcar el 2-1 de la Selección de Zidane ante Bélgica. 📺 Toda la #NationsLeague por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/r1gTUJdrLa
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 5, 2026

Olise’s assist preceded two goals of his own. Moreover, that balance gave the home attack both a creator and a finisher. Cherki offered another target for passes into the box, rather than leaving Olise to finish alone.

Late goals reshape Group A1

Olise scored in the 88th minute and again in stoppage time, at 90+1. Doué supplied both goals as France pulled clear. As a result, the Michael Olise brace completed four French goals across 14 minutes. TUDN’s match coverage records the scoring sequence and updated group positions.

¡ZIZOU APLAUDE A SU SUPER ESTRELLA! ¡NO TODO ES GOLAZOS PARA OLISE! El crack del Bayern Munich luchó la pelota a puro potrero y terminó definiendo mordido, pero efectivo, para el 3-1 de Francia ante Bélgica. 📺 Toda la #NationsLeague por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/S5iZVCSmS6
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 5, 2026

France leads Group A1 with ten points, ahead of Italy on seven. Meanwhile, Belgium remains third with six, while Türkiye has none.

¡¡CAMBIO DE FRENTE DE CHERKI, CONTROL DE TACO DE DOUÉ Y GOLAZO DE CAÑO DE OLISÉ!! Doblete del infernal 11 de Francia, para que Zidane sonría con el 4-1 ante Bélgica. 📺 Toda la #NationsLeague por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/9z06TYu3hL
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 5, 2026

For France vs Belgium, SofaScore’s match statistics show 66% French possession and a 23-5 shot advantage. Its expected goals figures also favor the hosts, 2.00 against 0.59.

Qualification remains the next objective, with France due to visit Italy. Belgium must regroup before hosting Türkiye in its next group match. Italy remains close enough to make that next meeting consequential.

Why France’s replacements succeeded

France’s strongest evidence comes from the connections among its attacking replacements. Olise created Cherki’s goal, and Doué then assisted both of Olise’s finishes.

In addition, those contributions spread responsibility across several players instead of one isolated scorer. Belgium had to deal with multiple threats around its penalty area.

The pattern suggests quicker attacking combinations helped France turn pressure into clearer opportunities. Movement and the timing of the final pass mattered alongside individual finishing.

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