▲ France's Michael Olise celebrates scoring the winning goal against Belgium.
France secured its second consecutive victory under head coach Zinedine Zidane, while Italy tasted its first win following the return of manager Roberto Mancini.
The French national football team defeated Belgium 1-0 in an away match for Group 1 of League A in the 2026-2027 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League (UNL) held at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on the morning of the 29th (KST), thanks to a winning goal by substitute Michael Olise in the 43rd minute of the second half.
Olise, who had been substituted on for Bradley Barcola in the 32nd minute of the second half, received the ball near the right side of the centerline, dribbled past three opposing defenders on his own, and decided the match with a left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area.
With this win, France—which previously claimed a 1-0 victory in its opening away match against Turkey on the 26th courtesy of Kylian Mbappe's winning goal—moved to the top of the group with two straight wins and 6 points.
French football legend Zidane has now led the national team to victory in both of his matches in charge of his home country's squad.
The French Football Federation appointed Zidane as the successor to Didier Deschamps last July following the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Facing Belgium, France made nine changes to its starting lineup from the Turkey match, notably missing Kylian Mbappe, who left the national team after sustaining an injury following his goal against Turkey.
However, France struggled to break the deadlock as luck eluded them; Desire Doue used individual skill to pierce through a dense defensive block in the 12th minute of the first half, only for his right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area to strike the crossbar. Later in the 8th minute of the second half, Lucas Da Cunha—making his senior international debut—saw his surprise left-footed mid-range shot hit the goalpost.
France subsequently shifted the momentum of the match by bringing on substitutes Ousmane Dembele, Rayan Cherki, and Olise, ultimately celebrating another victory on enemy territory through Olise's decisive strike.
In the same group, Italy thrashed Turkey 4-1 in an away match played in Bursa, Turkey.
Italy earned its first win of the tournament after suffering a 0-2 defeat in the opening home match against Belgium on the 26th, which marked the return of manager Mancini, who took charge last July to lead the Azzurri for a second stint following his previous tenure from 2018 to 2023.
During the match played amid heavy rain, Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the 9th minute of the first half by firing in with his left foot after the opposing defense failed to properly clear a corner kick, giving Italy the lead.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, after Michael Kayode's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, Davide Frattesi followed up to slot it home with his left foot, extending the advantage.
In the 27th minute of the first half, Kayode scored his debut international goal with a low, driven right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area, further tilting the game in Italy's favor.
Italy conceded a goal just two minutes into the second half to Turkey's Baris Alper Yilmaz.
However, three minutes later, after Sandro Tonali's shot rattled the goalpost, Francesco Pio Esposito headed in the rebound to restore a three-goal cushion.
Striker Pio Esposito drew attention by starting alongside his older brother, Sebastiano Esposito.
According to ESPN, Pio and Sebastiano became the first brothers to start together in the same match for the Italy national team in 111 years, following Aldo and Luigi Cevenini in 1915.
This marks the fourth time in history that brothers have played together in the same match for the Italian national team, following instances such as Filippo and Simone Inzaghi in 2000.
Meanwhile, Italy is scheduled to face France in their third group match in Saint-Denis, France, on October 3.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News, Getty Images)
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