Michael Olise’s 88th-minute finish gave France a second straight UEFA Nations League win under Zinédine Zidane, edging Belgium 1-0 in Brussels on Monday night. In a tight contest settled at the last, Désiré Doué emerged as the standout French performer, while Estéban Lepaul endured the only clearly disappointing individual assessment.
Key takeaways
- France beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels, with Olise scoring the decisive goal two minutes from the end of normal time.
- The result was Zidane’s second victory from his first two matches as France coach.
- Doué led the public ratings with 7.8, narrowly below the 8 awarded by match reporters.
- Lucas Da Cunha received a 7.3 rating from supporters, higher than the reporters’ mark of 7.
- Lepaul was the only France player rated below average, receiving 4.9 from the public and 4 from reporters.
Doué shines as France find a late answer
France continued their Nations League campaign with another convincing display under Zidane, although they had to wait until the closing moments to break Belgium’s resistance. Olise struck in the 88th minute to decide the match and secure a 1-0 victory away from home.
Doué was widely viewed as France’s best player. His 7.8 public rating was the highest in the side and closely matched the reporters’ score of 8. Da Cunha also drew strong approval, with his 7.3 public mark making him the one French player rated more highly by supporters than by the reporters.
Zidane was awarded 7.3 for his second game in charge, compared with an 8 from the match press. The win also prompted another exuberant celebration from the former France midfielder on the touchline.
Defensive scores divide opinion
The largest gaps between public and reporter assessments came in defence and midfield. Pierre Kalulu was given 5.8 by supporters against 6 from reporters, while Jérémy Jacquet collected 6.7 compared with an 8. Maxence Lacroix was also marked down slightly, earning 6.6 from the public and 7 from the press.
There was more generosity for several midfield players. Andy Diouf and Maghnes Akliouche each received 5.9 from supporters after both had been scored 5 by reporters. Eduardo Camavinga earned 6.7, above the press rating of 6, while goalkeeper Mike Maignan was given 6.7 compared with 7.
Bradley Barcola’s display in attack was judged more favourably by the public, who awarded him 5.7 after reporters had given him 5. Lepaul, however, was the exception in the forward line: his 4.9 was the only public score below the average mark, while the reporters were harsher still with a 4.
Jacquet produced the biggest difference between the two sets of ratings, whereas Da Cunha was the player most generously assessed by supporters after France’s late win in Belgium.
