France beat Belgium 4-1 as substitutes Olise and Doué drive Nations League comeback
Version 2: A third outlet, CBS NoCut News, adds detail on which substitutes came on and when, and says the replacements combined for all four goals; the result, scorer and standings are unchanged.
In short
France came from a goal down to beat Belgium 4-1 at the Stade de France in their 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League League A Group 1 matchday four game. Substitute Michael Olise scored twice and made one assist, and Désiré Doué scored one and set up two, with all four French goals coming from players brought on after half-time. The win keeps France top of the group on 10 points with three wins and a draw under coach Zinédine Zidane; Belgium are third on 6.
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France beat Belgium 4-1 at the Stade de France in a 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League League A Group 1 matchday four game, Yonhap reported. The win left France top of the group with three wins and one draw, 10 points. Belgium dropped to third with two wins and two defeats, 6 points. [ 1 ]
Belgium took the lead in the first half. According to Yonhap, Roméo Lavia played a pass through the defence and Dodi Lukebakio broke clear, beating the goalkeeper with a left-footed chip in the 35th minute. CBS NoCut News described the same goal, saying France's defensive line was broken by Lavia's pass. France had started with Ousmane Dembélé, Esteban Lepaul and Bradley Barcola in attack, with Kylian Mbappé out injured. [ 1 , 3 ]
Behind at half-time, France changed the game from the bench. Yonhap and CBS NoCut News reported that Zidane sent on three substitutes together in the 15th minute of the second half: Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Lucas Da Cunha, replacing Dembélé, Maghnes Akliouche and Manu Koné. In the 27th minute Barcola made way for Désiré Doué. CBS NoCut News said France looked markedly different afterwards. [ 1 , 3 ]
Doué equalised in the 32nd minute of the second half with a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area after a pass from Da Cunha, Yonhap reported. Cherki then put France ahead in the 36th minute, finishing an Olise cut-back. Olise scored twice more, in the 43rd minute and in the first minute of added time, both from Doué passes. Yonhap and CBS NoCut News said all four French goals came from players who came on after the interval. [ 1 , 3 ]
Olise finished with two goals and one assist and Doué with one goal and two assists. The Chosun Ilbo summary, credited to Sports Chosun, described Olise as the solution in Mbappé's absence and said he played 30 minutes in the comeback. Yonhap said Mbappé injured his knee in the first group match and France have played their four matches without him. [ 1 , 2 ]
Yonhap reported that Zinédine Zidane, who took charge of France in July after the North American World Cup, remains unbeaten, starting with a 1-0 win over Turkey on the 26th of last month and including a 1-1 draw with Italy three days before the Belgium match. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
In the other Group 1 match, Italy beat Turkey 3-1 in Bologna with goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Francesco Pio Esposito, Yonhap reported. Italy are second on 7 points, while Turkey, who replied through Aral Şimşir, have lost four straight and are bottom on 0 points. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The result keeps France unbeaten and top of their Nations League group under Zidane, who took charge after the North American World Cup, while Belgium slip to third. It is a national-team football result whose relevance is largely confined to the two countries and the competition itself.
Key facts
- France beat Belgium 4-1 in a 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League League A Group 1 matchday four game. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- France lead Group 1 with three wins and one draw, 10 points. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Belgium are third in the group with two wins and two defeats, 6 points. [ 1 ]
- Michael Olise came on as a substitute and scored two goals and made one assist. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Désiré Doué, also a substitute, scored one goal and made two assists. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Kylian Mbappé was absent with a knee injury suffered in the first group match. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Italy beat Turkey 3-1 to sit second in Group 1 with 7 points; Turkey are last on 0 points after four defeats. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- France beat Belgium 4-1. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Michael Olise scored two goals and made one assist after coming on as a substitute. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kylian Mbappé missed the match through injury. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Zinédine Zidane is France's coach and his team is unbeaten in four matches. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- France are top of Group 1 with three wins and one draw, 10 points. [ 1 , 3 ]
- All of France's four goals came from substitutes. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The venue of the match. Yonhap and CBS NoCut News say the game was at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, while the Chosun Ilbo summary places it in Paris; the documents do not resolve the difference.
- The exact clock time of each goal. Yonhap and CBS NoCut News describe the goals by half and minute of the half rather than by match clock time, and the Chosun Ilbo summary gives no timings.
- Kylian Mbappé's return date from the knee injury. The documents say he is out injured but none says when he is expected back.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes its report on France's 4-1 win over Belgium at the Stade de France, which it says keeps France top of Nations League League A Group 1. [ 1 ]
- The Chosun Ilbo publishes a summary describing Olise's two goals and one assist in 30 minutes as the driver of France's comeback. [ 2 ]
- CBS NoCut News publishes its account crediting Zidane's substitutions with the turnaround. [ 3 ]