Nations League: France come from behind to beat Belgium 4-1
What's the story
France staged a stunning comeback to beat Belgium 4-1 in the 2026 UEFA Nations League. The match at Stade de France saw Belgium take an early lead through Dodi Lukebakio's first-half goal. However, France turned the tide with four late goals from Desire Doue, Ryan Cherki, and Michael Olise. Claiming their first home win under Zinedine Zidane, France consolidated their top spot in Group A.
Summary
How the match panned out
Despite Belgium's early possession, they were unable to score in the first 30 minutes. The patience finally paid off as Dodi Lukebakio found the net five minutes later.
This kept Zidane's men pushing for an equalizer after halftime.
After the hour mark, France brought in Cherki and Olise. Barely 13 minutes before full-time, Desire Doue struck the equalizer.
Cherki (81') gave France the much-needed lead, while Olise's twin strikes (88', 90'+1') sealed the deal.
Manager's remarks
Zidane on landmark win
After the match, Zidane praised his team's performance, saying, "It's good to put things right, and that's what we did with an extraordinary second half. We were just missing that final few meters in the first half, but then we turned the match around, it was good."
He added that they were just missing the final few meters in the first half but turned the match around in an extraordinary second half.
The win also marked Zidane's first home victory as France's manager.
Late surge
A look at France's campaign
France fired as many as 22 shots with 9 on target throughout the match. They had 60% possession compared to Belgium's 40%.
France now has three wins and a draw from four matches in the ongoing Nations League. They are three points clear of the second-placed Italy (10).
France will next play Italy on November 13 before facing Turkey three days later.