France beats Belgium 4-1 with late goals under Zidane

The France national football team secured a 4-1 victory over Belgium on October 5, 2026, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, driven by a decisive late-game surge in the UEFA Nations League. Trailing for much of the match after Dodi Lukébakio opened the scoring for the visitors in the 35th minute, the hosts responded with four goals in the final quarter-hour following a triple substitution by head coach Zinédine Zidane.

Stade de France Erupts as Substitutes Rewrite the Match

For nearly eighty minutes, the home side struggled to break down a resolute Belgian defense, echoing structural frustrations from a 1-1 draw against Italy three days prior. Operating under the newly initiated era of Zinédine Zidane, the French attack lacked fluidity. Captain Ousmane Dembélé endured a difficult outing, losing possession 22 times and failing to land a single shot on target from five attempts. Capitalizing on those offensive struggles, Belgium seized the advantage before halftime when Dodi Lukébakio beat debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes to put the Red Devils ahead.

The tactical setup shifted entirely in the 75th minute. Zidane introduced Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki at the hour mark, followed shortly by Désiré Doué replacing Bradley Barcola. The trio immediately injected the directness and tempo that had been missing from the French buildup. In the 77th minute, Doué collected a pass at the edge of the penalty area and fired a low, precise shot past Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt to level the score at 1-1 before 75,389 spectators.

Rapid Scoring Flurry Seals Group Leadership

The equalizer unlocked the match entirely. Four minutes after Doué’s strike, Rayan Cherki put the hosts ahead. Michael Olise supplied a neat pass into the box, and the Lyon forward finished with power past Vandevoordt to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute. The dramatic turnaround left the Belgian defense scrambling and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Michael Olise then added two goals of his own to complete the rout in the final moments. At the 88th minute, Olise showed persistence by fighting through a challenge inside the box after an initial touch got away from him, collecting a return pass from Doué to poke home France’s third. Two minutes into stoppage time, the Bayern Munich midfielder struck again, running onto another assist from Doué to beat the onrushing goalkeeper with a clean finish, securing the 4-1 scoreline.

France Nears Quarterfinals Before Facing Italy and Turkey

With the victory, France preserves first place in Group A of the UEFA Nations League, moving a step closer to securing qualification for the tournament’s quarterfinals. The squad completes its October international window on a positive note, having won four matches in ten days.

The national team’s qualification campaign resumes on November 12, 2026, when the squad travels to face Italy. Following that fixture, France will return home to host Turkey on November 15 to conclude the group stage and determine final quarterfinal seeding.