Olise France win: Michael Olise scores a stunning late goal as France beat Belgium 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League in Brussels

Michael Olise scored an outstanding 88th-minute goal to give France a 1-0 victory over Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium on Monday, handing Zinedine Zidane a second successive win since taking charge of Les Bleus.

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Olise came off the bench in the 77th minute with the Group A1 encounter heading towards a goalless draw.

Eleven minutes later, the Bayern Munich forward produced the defining moment of the match.

The London-born France international collected the ball inside his own half, drove forward through the Belgian midfield and carried the attack towards the edge of the penalty area before curling a precise finish beyond goalkeeper Senne Lammens and into the bottom-left corner.

The goal capped a remarkable individual contribution and settled a match that had otherwise offered little between the two sides in front of the Brussels crowd.

France had created the clearer opportunities before Olise’s intervention.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Désiré Doué struck the crossbar in the first half, while Lucas Da Cunha hit the post shortly after the restart.

France eventually found the breakthrough through Olise, who replaced Liverpool winger Bradley Barcola for the final stages of the contest.

The victory means France have collected six points from their opening two Group A1 matches and sit at the top of the section.

Belgium and Italy have three points each, while Türkiye remain without a point after two matches.

France’s latest result also extends Zidane’s perfect beginning as national-team coach.

The former France captain began his tenure with a 1-0 away victory over Türkiye last Friday before overseeing another clean-sheet win in Belgium.

The result came despite France making nine changes to the team that started against Türkiye.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix were the only players retained in the starting XI, while Da Cunha and Rennes forward Esteban Lepaul made their senior international debuts.

France were again without captain Kylian Mbappé, who returned to Real Madrid for treatment after sustaining a left knee injury while scoring the winning goal against Türkiye.

Belgium also entered the match under new manager Mark van Bommel, who had begun his tenure with a notable 2-0 victory away to Italy.

That result had raised expectations for Belgium’s first home match under Van Bommel, but France’s disciplined performance ultimately denied the hosts another positive result.

Italy, meanwhile, responded to their defeat by Belgium by beating Türkiye 4-1 on Monday.

That result leaves Italy level with Belgium on three points and sets up an important meeting with France at the Stade de France on Friday.

France will then face Belgium again next Monday as the Group A1 campaign continues.

For Olise, the Brussels victory provided another memorable moment in a France shirt.

His decision to carry the ball from inside his own half and finish with composure in the closing minutes transformed a tense contest into a dramatic victory.

Also read: Michael Kayode Ties International Future to Italy After Debut Goal

For Zidane, it was another encouraging night at the beginning of his France tenure, with two matches bringing two victories and two clean sheets.