France national team head coach Zinédine Zidane secured a narrow 1–0 victory over Turkey in his managerial debut on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the Kocaeli Stadium in İzmit during the opening matchday of the UEFA Nations League. Captain Kylian Mbappé scored the decisive goal in the second half, though the performance raised questions as the visitors labored through a scrappy, disjointed contest on a poor pitch.
Playing along the coast of the Sea of Marmara roughly a hundred kilometers east of Istanbul, Zidane walked the touchline in an all-black suit for his first official match in charge of Les Bleus. The former Real Madrid manager made several bold tactical tweaks for his maiden outing, moving away from the patterns established by his predecessor, Didier Deschamps. Mbappé started wide on the left flank, Ousmane Dembélé operated as a central number nine, Rayan Cherki slotted into a three-man midfield, and Maxence Lacroix got the nod over newcomer Jérémy Jacquet to partner Dayot Upamecano in central defense.
A Scrappy First Half on a Bumpy Pitch
The opening quarter-hour offered little fluidity, hampered by an uneven playing surface that made clean ball-retrieval difficult for both sides. Turkey executed their tactical blueprint effectively by transitioning quickly on turnovers and exploiting space behind the French backline through Barış Alper Yılmaz. France struggled to find rhythm early, with Mbappé pinned to the left touchline and Dembélé isolated in central areas.
The match’s first genuine scoring chance arrived in the 17th minute when Cherki initiated a rapid counter-attack, feeding Michael Olise, who laid the ball off to Mbappé. The forward dragged his shot wide of the target. Turkey responded through the creative play of Arda Güler, whose surging run set up Yilmaz for a shot blocked at the last second by Upamecano in the 27th minute. Ferdi Kadıoğlu then failed to generate power on a header collected comfortably by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France finished the opening period stronger. Merih Demiral denied Cherki with a crucial sliding tackle inside the box in the 40th minute following a neat sequence involving Dembélé and Olise. Olise then curled an effort from the right that goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır tipped around the post, before Adrien Rabiot missed the target following a pullback from Cherki just before halftime.
Mbappé Scores and Limps Off as Çakır Sees Red
Turkey seized the initiative after the interval. Güler curled a free-kick that deflected off Lacroix in the 49th minute, and Maignan produced a sharp reaction save to deny İsmail Yüksek from close range moments later. Despite Turkey’s pressure, France broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 54th minute. Capitalizing on a Turkish turnover, Olise slipped a pass into the penalty area to Mbappé, who finished calmly with a low shot to put the visitors ahead 1–0.
Celebration turned to immediate concern as Mbappé clutched his left knee and grimaced in pain straight after his strike. After a brief attempt to run off the discomfort, the French captain was replaced by Désiré Doué.
Even without their talisman, Les Bleus maintained the initiative. Jules Koundé surged forward from right-back, cut inside, and struck a left-footed shot that hit the post in the 68th minute. Olise sent another curling attempt wide, while Güler tested Maignan again with a sharp effort at the near post. Late in the match, substitute Bradley Barcola forced Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır out of his penalty area, where the Galatasaray keeper handled the ball to thwart a counter. Following a lengthy review, Çakır received a straight red card in the 87th minute, forcing Turkey to finish the match with ten men. France failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage during the closing minutes, but safely saw out the remainder of the fixture to claim the three points.
Tactical Adjustments and Squad Selection
Zidane’s initial selection signaled a departure from the conservative structures often favored during the latter stages of the Deschamps era. Utilizing Cherki in central midfield alongside deeper options provided moments of technical incision, though defensive transitions exposed vulnerabilities that Turkey exploited through direct balls.
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