Michael Olise scored a spectacular free-kick at the Stade de France to open the scoring for France in their UEFA Nations League match against Italy on October 2, 2026, as reported by Le Parisien.
How Olise and Cherki Broke the Italian Defense
The deadlock at the Stade de France lasted for 55 minutes before France found a breakthrough against Italy in the third round of the UEFA Nations League. Rayan Cherki of Manchester City drew a foul just outside the penalty area, setting up a dead-ball opportunity for Les Bleus. Rather than shooting directly, Cherki flicked the ball into the path of Olise. The Bayern Munich winger drove a powerful left-footed strike over the Italian wall and into the right-hand corner of the net, leaving Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with no chance. The ball hit the crossbar, almost exactly in the top corner, before bouncing behind the line.
News.footeo.com noted that the sequence began moments after Olise had slipped a backheel to Cherki, who was subsequently brought down by Nicolò Fagioli. Fagioli received a yellow card for the challenge, creating the free-kick situation that Olise and Cherki then executed. The set piece was taken from 20 meters out, slightly to the right.
Parallels to Previous Dead-Ball Successes for Les Bleus
Ouest-France.fr pointed out that the strike bore a strong resemblance to Olise’s first international free-kick goal, scored in March 2025 against Croatia during the Nations League quarterfinals. That effort marked the first direct free-kick goal for France since Paul Pogba found the target in March 2018. Since then, Lucas Digne also converted from long range against Italy in Milan during the September 2024 group stage. Digne scored from 25 meters in a 3-1 victory.
Olise’s opener against Italy marked his eighth international goal for France. However, the advantage proved temporary. Italy equalized in the 68th minute through Alessandro Bastoni following a mix-up between Adrien Rabiot and Da Cunha, leaving the score level at 1-1.
Decisive Impact Under Zinédine Zidane
The goal continues a strong run of form for Olise under newly appointed France coach Zinédine Zidane. Three days prior, Olise scored an 88th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory away to Belgium. He also contributed an assist in a 1-0 win against Turkey, making him directly involved in goals across his first three appearances of the Zidane era. His goal in Belgium had already caused Zidane to react with excitement.
The performance followed a missed scoring opportunity by Ousmane Dembélé early in the second half, highlighting Olise’s growing influence within the French tactical setup. The former Crystal Palace player combined both power and finesse in his execution.
Upcoming Fixtures in Group 1
France continues its UEFA Nations League campaign in Group 1 of League A with a return fixture against Belgium scheduled for October 5, 2026. Subsequent group matches include a trip to Italy on November 12, 2026, and a home fixture against Turkey on November 15, 2026.
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