The images circulated within minutes: France’s head coach charging along the sideline at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, then booting a loose ball near the technical area with enough force that watching reporters wondered whether he had done himself a mischief.
Asked what exactly had come over him, Zinedine Zidane was not entirely sure.
“I don’t even know what I did, in fact,” he told reporters, in comments carried by Goal.
“What is certain is that I accompanied Michael’s action because I felt he was starting his dribbles. And he did an exceptional action. Then I saw the ball, I was forced to shoot it, be a bit ridiculous, but it doesn’t matter.”
Olise’s 88th-minute solo
Michael Olise had come off the bench in the 77th minute. Eleven minutes later, the Bayern Munich winger drove forward from deep, cut inside and curled a left-footed finish past Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens to give France a 1-0 win in Brussels on Monday 28 September 2026.
It was the only goal France needed on a night when they had struck the woodwork twice. Désiré Doué rattled the crossbar in the first half, and Lucas Da Cunha hit a post soon after the interval.
A second win in three days
The victory was Zidane’s second in charge of France since he replaced Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup. He made nine changes from the side that had beaten Turkey 1-0 on his debut three days earlier, with captain Kylian Mbappé absent after the knee problem he picked up in that game.
Zidane spoke warmly about his match-winner afterwards.
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“He’s a player, and I love players. He wants to please, he feels football, he senses the moments, knows when to push forward or hold back. I’m happy being beside him,” Zidane told French reporters.
Group A1: France pull clear
France lead Group A1 with six points from two matches. Belgium and Italy are level on three, with Turkey yet to pick up a point.
For Belgium head coach Mark van Bommel, appointed by the Royal Belgian FA in late July and installed on 15 August, it was a first defeat in his second competitive game in charge, following a win over Italy on the opening matchday.
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