Olise leads France to victory against Belgium in Nations League

Michael Olise came off the bench to inspire France to a 4-1 win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on October 5, 2026, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris. This victory marked Zinedine Zidane's first home win since taking charge as coach.

Belgium initially took the lead through Dodi Lukebakio in the first half. However, France turned the match around dramatically, scoring four times in the last thirteen minutes to maintain Zidane's unbeaten start with the team and move closer to the quarter-finals.

The comeback began with Desire Doue equalizing in the 77th minute with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area. Olise then assisted Rayan Cherki to give France a 2-1 lead just four minutes later. Olise added another goal himself before scoring once again in stoppage time, sealing a stunning recovery for the hosts.

This win followed France's previous 1-0 victory over Belgium in Brussels the week before, a match where Olise also played a crucial role in scoring. With this latest win, France climbed three points ahead of Italy at the top of Group A1, while Belgium fell further behind, sitting one point back.

Italy's recent win against Turkey further compounded Belgium's situation, as Italy beat Turkey 3-1 in Bologna, marking Turkey's fourth consecutive loss.

In this match, Zidane made significant changes to the squad, with ten players rotated, except for Ousmane Dembele who retained his spot. Manchester United defender Leny Yoro and Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes also debuted for France, while Dembele led the team in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappe.

Belgium, missing suspended stars Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans, managed to catch France off guard early in the match with a well-placed pass from Romeo Lavia to Lukebakio, who scored with a composed finish. Despite several attempts by France to equalize, including saves from debutant Belgium goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, it was not until Doué's goal that the turnaround began.

Cherki's goal, set up by Olise, and the additional two goals from Olise confirmed a remarkable turnaround for France, highlighting their offensive strength and resilience in the face of an early deficit.