Nations League roundup: Olise inspires France's comeback against Belgium

In a thrilling Nations League encounter, Michael Olise came off the bench to inspire France to a 4-1 victory over Belgium on October 5, 2026. This match marked Zinedine Zidane’s first home victory since taking charge of the French national team.

Belgium took an early lead in the first half through Dodi Lukébakio, who scored to put the visitors in front, aiming for their first competitive win over France in 45 years at the Stade de France. However, the match dramatically shifted in France's favor as they scored four goals in just 14 minutes to ensure Zidane’s unbeaten start continued and to edge them closer to the quarter-finals.

Desiré Doué equalized for France in the 77th minute with a low shot from the edge of the area. Shortly after, Olise assisted Rayan Cherki, whose goal put France ahead just four minutes later. Olise then scored a third goal himself, putting the result beyond reach. He capped off an incredible comeback with a fourth goal during stoppage time. France had previously defeated Belgium 1-0 in Brussels the previous week, also thanks to a late goal from Olise, solidifying their position at the top of Group A1, three points ahead of Italy, who were another point below Belgium.

Italy managed to beat Turkey 3-1 in Bologna, condemning the Turks to their fourth consecutive loss with goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori, and Pio Esposito.

For the match against Belgium, Zidane rotated his squad heavily, with only Ousmane Dembélé retained among the ten changes made. The Manchester United defender Leny Yoro and Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes made their international debuts in this match. Dembélé captained the side in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappé, while Belgium was without the suspended Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans.

Belgium initially caught France off guard with Roméo Lavia’s excellent pass, allowing Lukébakio to score. Despite some solid saves from Belgium’s debut goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt and a shaky start for France, they eventually took control of the match. Following the equalizer, Olise’s involvement dramatically turned the tide. Zidane commented on the game, expressing satisfaction with the second half: "There were difficulties, but that’s part of the game... It was good to turn the match around."

In other matches, Hungary claimed a 2-1 win against Ukraine thanks to Mark Csinger's late goal, while Viktor Gyökeres scored again for Sweden in their 1-0 victory over Romania. Bosnia and Herzegovina clinched a 1-0 win over Poland following Ivan Basic’s late penalty.