Video: Zidane deceives Belgium, and Olise appears in the killer moment

Boldness met excitement in Brussels. France snatched a dramatic 1-0 win over hosts Belgium on Monday evening at the King Baudouin Stadium, in the second round of Group A of the UEFA Nations League.

Zinedine Zidane's men kept their perfect start intact, a second consecutive win lifting France to 6 points at the top of the group. Belgium, led by Mark van Bommel, tasted their first defeat and stalled on 3 points in third, level with runners-up Italy but behind on goal difference. Turkey prop up the table without a point.

Zidane turned heads with his selection, leaving several of his biggest stars on the bench, chief among them Ousmane Dembélé, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise, despite Kylian Mbappé already missing the match through injury.

Three players also made their France debuts: Jeremy Jacquet, Aniss Diouf and Lucas Da Cunha. That had not happened since 22 September 2022.

Fortune deserted France twice. The crossbar denied Désiré Doué in the 12th minute and Lucas Da Cunha in the 53rd, keeping the game goalless until the final minutes.

Zidane went to his bench to spark the front line, throwing on Ousmane Dembélé in the 68th minute for Esteban Lepaul, then Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise in the 77th at the expense of Maghnes Akliouche and Bradley Barcola.

Then came the 88th minute. Michael Olise collected a pass from Rayan Cherki, set off at speed, beat his marker and lashed a shot from the edge of the box into the net to win it for France.

Zidane's gamble had paid off. His substitutes made the difference and handed France three fresh points that kept them alone at the summit.

⚽️🔥 يا له من هدف! مايكل أوليسيه يفتتح التسجيل لمنتخب فرنسا بعد مجهود فردي رائع 🇫🇷#دوري_الأمم_الأوروبية pic.twitter.com/e8ZYm8Lmkl — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 28, 2026