France secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Monday, with substitute Michael Olise scoring a late winner to settle an entertaining encounter.
Olise produced a moment of individual brilliance in the 88th minute, cutting through the Belgian defence before finding the bottom-left corner to hand France victory.
France Make Changes Against Belgium
Zinédine Zidane opted to leave Rayan Cherki, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé on the bench, while captain Kylian Mbappé missed the game through injury.
Belgium, meanwhile, retained Mika Godts after his impressive performance against Italy.
Godts immediately justified his selection, causing problems with his pace, movement and work rate as Belgium showed little fear against their neighbours.
France also came close to opening the scoring when Désiré Doué produced an impressive individual run before seeing his effort crash against the crossbar.
The hosts were also fortunate on another occasion, with Romeo Lavia clearing the ball off the line as the match continued to swing from end to end.
Belgium Hold France to Goalless First Half
Despite several chances at both ends, neither side could find the breakthrough before half-time.
The goalless scoreline did little to reflect the entertainment in Brussels, with both teams creating opportunities in an open contest.
Belgium, however, offered less attacking threat after the restart as France began to gain greater control of the game.
Dembélé was introduced after 67 minutes as Zidane looked to inject more attacking quality into his side.
Godts Comes Close as Belgium Push for Winner
Belgium still had opportunities to take the lead.
Dodi Lukebakio found himself in a promising position but was denied by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Godts also came close after embarking on another solo run, but his effort found the side netting.
With 15 minutes remaining, Belgium coach Mark van Bommel urged his players forward as both sides searched for the decisive goal.
Cherki and Olise were then introduced for the closing stages as France prepared for a late push.
Olise Scores Late Winner for France
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 88th minute.
Olise collected the ball around the halfway line and embarked on a superb solo run before calmly finding the left-hand corner of the net.
The late strike sparked huge celebrations among the French players and coaching staff, while the Belgian crowd was left stunned.
Belgium had managed to keep France under control for much of the night, but Olise’s individual quality ultimately proved decisive.
The victory followed France’s 1-0 win over Turkey on Friday, giving Zidane’s side another important result as their campaign continues.
