For 77 minutes, the Stade de France waited in near-darkness. Then Michael Olise arrived from the bench and turned France’s Nations League meeting with Belgium into a 4-1 night, delivering an assist and scoring twice to give Zinédine Zidane his first home victory as Les Bleus coach.
Olise changes the match
- France had beaten Belgium 1-0 away in the first meeting of the international break, with Olise scoring the decisive goal in the 88th minute.
- Belgium kept France under pressure for much of Monday’s return fixture at the Stade de France, with the scoreline still offering little comfort to the home crowd after 77 minutes.
- Zidane introduced the Bayern Munich winger in the 60th minute in place of Ousmane Dembélé.
- Olise created a goal before adding two of his own, helping France pull away for a 4-1 win.
- The 24-year-old finished the gathering having contributed directly to six of France’s seven goals across the two matches.
The Franco-English attacker’s impact was immediate enough to dominate the post-match reaction across Europe. His combination of an assist and two goals made him the defining figure of a match that had appeared far more uncertain before France’s substitutes changed its shape and energy.
Olise, who had already settled the first contest in Belgium late on, was widely portrayed as the decisive bench weapon. The assessment was that he transformed the evening despite playing only the final half-hour, while his two-goal finish completed a performance described as exceptional.
Zidane’s substitutions deliver
Olise was not the only replacement to influence the game. Rayan Cherki and Désiré Doué also made decisive contributions after entering, with Zidane’s use of his bench receiving strong praise.
The result was particularly significant for the France coach, bringing his first win at the Stade de France since taking charge. What had been a restrained home performance became a resounding scoreline once the attacking changes took hold.
Olise’s reserved public character was also noted amid the acclaim: he may not seek attention, but the spotlight found him again as France finished the window with two victories over their neighbours.
Belgium left to rue another French defeat
For Belgium, the result extended a difficult run against France to seven consecutive defeats. The manner of the loss was especially painful after they had contained the hosts for much of the contest before the late collapse.
Belgian reaction focused on the difference made by France’s attacking replacements, with Olise following the earlier influence of Doué and Cherki in exploiting space around the Belgian penalty area. There was also a pointed question over what might have happened had Zidane started his strongest attacking options from the opening whistle.
France, however, will take the more important conclusion from the night: Olise has emerged as the attacking spark of the squad, with six direct goal contributions in one international break and another decisive display under Zidane.
