France turned a difficult first half into a 4-1 Nations League win over Belgium on Monday, and Zinédine Zidane left his first 15-day camp as national-team coach with the feeling that his squad had answered far more than a scoreline could show.
A comeback built on a sharper second half
Zidane described the victory as the kind of match that captures why football matters: France had faced problems before the interval, then found an extraordinary response after the break to overturn the contest.
- France beat Belgium 4-1 on Monday in the Nations League.
- Zidane felt the first half had not been disastrous, but his side lacked speed and precision in the final metres of their moves.
- He said France had started well before struggling to create enough rhythm in the last 20 to 30 metres.
- The coach praised the collective reaction rather than isolating the second-half turnaround from the rest of the performance.
“We were able to put things right, and the second half was exceptional,” Zidane said. “But I include everybody in that. It was not a bad first half; we simply missed certain things.”
He identified greater verticality and faster attacking play near the opposition penalty area as priorities for the next camps. France also need to fill the box more consistently when wide players break forward, crosses arrive or through-balls are played.
That issue, he said, had appeared in most of France’s four matches, with the team generally looking more dangerous later in games.
Substitutes make the difference
The changes helped swing the match against Belgium, with Michael Olise among the scorers and Désiré also finding the net after coming on. Zidane said every substitute who entered the match scored, underlining the impact of his bench.
He insisted, however, that the finishing contribution of the replacements should not obscure the work done by the entire group across the camp.
- Zidane said France had the quality on the bench to alter the course of the game.
- He considered the substitutions the right calls, while stressing that every player had contributed over the 15 days.
- The coach said all members of the squad had been given an opportunity during the camp.
- Jean Butez was the only player who did not start a match.
- Lenny Yoro played and impressed after Jérémy Jacquet was affected by a physical problem.
“There will always be one player who makes the difference,” Zidane said. “But we planned things so that everyone could have their moment, while also taking care of the players.”
Ten points and a united group
France completed the four-match sequence with three victories, one draw and 10 points. Yet Zidane placed more value on the atmosphere created during his first gathering in charge than on the early results.
He said he had been pleasantly surprised by the players’ seriousness in training and by the way the group lived together. The coach had expected professionalism, but said the commitment and unity had stood out throughout the fortnight.
“There is nothing to throw away from this first camp,” Zidane said. “I am proud of the players and happy with the work we have done together.”
He also pointed to the reaction of those taken off during matches, saying they celebrated the players who came on and scored. For Zidane, that shared response was the clearest sign of a squad moving in the same direction.
Club football resumes
The international break now closes, with the players returning to their clubs and the demands of the French season and beyond. Zidane admitted the abrupt end to his first spell with the group would feel strange after 15 days together.
For France, the next task is to preserve the spirit that carried them through Belgium while improving their attacking occupation of the area and the tempo of their final-third play.
