France staged a remarkable late comeback against Belgium, scoring four goals in a devastating 14-minute spell to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 victory in the UEFA Nations League. The result further strengthened France’s position at the top of Group A1 and gave head coach Zinedine Zidane his first home victory in charge.
The match in Paris appeared to be slipping away from the hosts for much of the evening. France controlled possession from the opening stages and repeatedly pushed forward, but their dominance did not translate into goals. Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola both had opportunities, yet neither could provide the decisive finish.
Belgium were more efficient when their chance arrived. In the 35th minute, Roméo Lavia produced a fine through pass into the attacking area, allowing Dodi Lukebakio to break into the box. Lukebakio then fired a powerful left-footed shot beyond the French goalkeeper to give Belgium a 1-0 lead.
France went into the interval behind despite having enjoyed significant control of the game. The hosts continued to search for an equaliser after the restart, but Belgium managed to preserve their advantage for more than half an hour.
With the match becoming increasingly difficult for France, Zidane made a series of attacking changes. Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Lucas Da Cunha were introduced in the 60th minute, while Désiré Doué was brought on 12 minutes later. The changes injected fresh energy into the French attack and ultimately transformed the contest.
France finally found the breakthrough in the 77th minute. Da Cunha’s pass found Doué outside the penalty area, and the substitute struck a superb low left-footed effort into the net to make it 1-1.
The equaliser immediately changed the mood inside the stadium. France continued to press, and just four minutes later they completed the turnaround. Olise delivered a cut-back towards the danger area, and Rayan Cherki finished the move to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Belgium were suddenly struggling to contain France’s attacking movement. In the 88th minute, Olise combined brilliantly with Doué before scoring France’s third goal, his first of the night.
There was still time for another. In the first minute of stoppage time, Doué brought down a pass with his chest and helped create the opening for Olise, who finished again to complete his brace.
Four goals in 14 minutes had completely changed the match. France, who had been trailing 1-0 for much of the contest, finished with a convincing 4-1 victory.
Zidane expressed his satisfaction after the final whistle, praising his players for responding positively to the problems they faced in the first half. He singled out the substitutes for making a significant difference but also credited the entire squad for the hard work put in during the previous two weeks.
Olise, one of the central figures in the comeback, also praised Zidane’s approach. He described the victory as a collective effort and said the players had been responding well to the coach’s ideas in recent matches.
The result leaves France on 10 points from four matches at the top of Group A1. Belgium have six points from four games, while Italy have seven. Türkiye remain without a point after four matches.
For France, the victory was significant not only because of the three points but also because of the manner in which they recovered. After dominating possession without reward and falling behind, the hosts found another level in the closing stages. Zidane’s substitutions proved decisive, while Olise and Doué played central roles in a comeback that turned a potentially disappointing home night into an emphatic victory.
