Mark van Bommel began his tenure as Belgium’s national team coach with a 0-2 victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome during the UEFA Nations League. The Red Devils controlled the match against an Italian side that struggled throughout the fixture, while France secured a narrow 0-1 victory away against Turkey under new coach Zinédine Zidane.
Van Bommel Restructures Belgium’s Attack in Rome
Taking charge of a squad that has struggled historically against the Azzurri—winning none of their previous five encounters over the last decade and failing to defeat them outright since 1972—Van Bommel shook up his front line. He paired striker Charles de Ketelaere with wingers Diego Moreira and Mika Godts. Godts, who was omitted from Belgium’s previous World Cup roster under Rudi Garcia, recently transferred from Ajax to Paris Saint-Germain and rewarded his new manager’s faith early.
In the 20th minute, Godts broke the deadlock to net his first international goal, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by the Italian backline to dribble down the left flank and finish. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma kept the hosts within striking distance as the Azzurri received boos from the home supporters at halftime. Roberto Mancini, back in the Italy dugout after returning to the role he held during their 2021 European Championship triumph, watched his team fail to generate meaningful momentum. After Moise Keane and Pio Esposito squandered rare second-half chances against Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens—filling in while 34-year-old Thibaut Courtois takes a rest period—substitute Dodi Lukebakio sealed the result in the second half with a long-range strike from outside the penalty area.
France Defeats Turkey as Kylian Mbappé Suffers Knee Injury
In the same Nations League group, France earned a hard-fought 0-1 victory over Turkey in Izmit. The match marked the competitive debut of Zinédine Zidane as France coach following his appointment as the successor to Didier Deschamps. Zidane deployed a familiar tactical framework reminiscent of their World Cup campaign while handing a starting role to Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki.
The decisive moment arrived in the second half when Kylian Mbappé capitalized on a turnover in the Turkish defense to drive a hard shot into the corner. However, celebrations were cut short when the French captain pulled up while celebrating, immediately grasping his left knee. Following medical attention on the pitch, Mbappé attempted to continue before leaving the field with a visible expression of pain.
“It doesn’t look good unfortunately,” Zidane said during the post-match press conference. “Kylian will go home, we won’t take any risks with him. His knee is swollen, that is not encouraging.” Officials confirmed the forward will play no further part in the current international window. Turkey pushed for an equalizer but saw their hopes extinguished in the 87th minute when goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir received a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty area.
Nations League Division B Results
Elsewhere in Division B action, PSV forward Dennis Man scored for Romania during an away fixture against Sweden. Despite the effort, the Scandinavian side secured a 2-1 victory behind goals from established forwards Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres.
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