Three days after the victory of the French team in the League of Nations for the first of Zinedine Zidane on the bench, the Blues won at the wire against Belgium (1-0), Monday September 28 in the evening, at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels.
In addition to the absence of Kylian Mbappé, injured, the new coach of the Blues starts this meeting with no less than nine changes compared to his eleven starters in Türkiye. A turnover assumed by Zizou, while the Blues will still play two more matches before the end of the international break.
Also readLeague of Nations: the Blues win in Türkiye, a successful first for Zinedine Zidane
This largely overhauled French team appears comfortable with the ball at the start of the match (70% ball possession during the first ten minutes). All that’s missing is opportunities, which is quickly done with Désiré Doué. The PSG winger performs a number in the Belgian area before finishing with a powerful shot which crashes onto the crossbar of Senne Lammens (12th).
The two teams play without complexes during this match, and in this game the Blues appear more enterprising at first, but neither Estéban Lepaul (17th) nor Bradley Barcola (19th) manage to deceive the Belgian goalkeeper. And when the new Liverpool striker gets ahead of everyone, Nathan Ngoy stops him (21st) – irregularly, it seems, but the referee doesn’t flinch. Maghnes Akliouche also tries his luck with a free kick, but Senne Lammens lays down well.
The Red Devils play at home but often suffer the law of their opponent in the evening. They still manage to create a few situations like this shot from Mika Godts who escapes the frame of Mike Maignan (36th). The biggest thrills come from the feet of Kevin de Bruyne: from the left, he attempts a midfield lob that could have gone down in history (24th), from the right, he attempts a curling shot but does not catch the French top corner (36th).
Michael Olise’s Fantastic Ride
The second act restarts on the same basis as the first period, with a large French domination, whether in terms of possession or scoring opportunities. On a tense shot, Lucas Da Cunha saw his attempt end on the post of Senne Lammens (53rd). Désiré Doué is very strong, as in the first act, but none of his attempts hit the mark (52nd, 56th and 62nd).
See alsoReturn to Mbappé’s exclusive interview: “I never cut the link with Africa”
Only one goal is missing to reward the good offensive performance of the France team for almost an hour. But the Blues must also be careful not to be surprised on the counter, as in this three against two concluded by Dodi Lukebakio, but Mike Maignan quickly comes out of his cage and closes the angle with his right foot (73rd). The Belgian winger tries his luck again with a curling shot, captured in two stages by the French goalkeeper (78th).
The Red Devils finished the match better and put more effort into the final minutes, while the French team gradually let up. We are slowly heading towards a draw… but finally Michael Olise delivers the Blues with an unstoppable low strike after a fantastic ride of several tens of meters (1-0, 88th).
The hardest part is done, and the balance sheet is there: the Zizou version of the Blues have won twice in as many matches played, with a clear improvement in content compared to Turkey. Confirmation will be expected during the next two home matches against Italy and Belgium.
