France secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Belgium in Brussels thanks to an 88th-minute solo strike from Michael Olise, while Italy rebounded with a 4-1 thrashing of Turkey in Bursa during the second round of UEFA Nations League fixtures on Monday.
France Edges Past Belgium Behind Olise’s Late Winner
Michael Olise broke a tense stalemate in the 88th minute, driving past defenders before slotting a precise shot past the Belgian defense. The Bayern Munich star’s late intervention handed Zinedine Zidane’s side all three points in a tightly contested Neighborly derby.
Zidane shuffled his lineup significantly following an opening 1-0 win against Turkey, making nine changes to his starting XI. Debuts were handed to Jeremy Jacquet, Andy Dioufa, and Lucas da Cunha. With Kylian Mbappé sidelined due to a knee injury, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué occupied the flanks alongside central forward Esteban Lepaul.
Belgium relied on a largely unchanged squad from their 2-0 win in Rome under manager Mark van Bommel, who suffered his first defeat in charge of the Red Devils. Despite the tactical familiarity of the hosts, Les Bleus created the clearer openings. Doué struck the crossbar in the 12th minute, and Da Cunha rattled the woodwork from distance in the 54th minute, setting the stage for Olise’s decisive late breakthrough.
Italy Rebounds With Four Goals Against Turkey
Italy erased the frustration of an opening 2-0 defeat to Belgium by dismantling Turkey 4-1 in a rainy encounter in Bursa. Under the returning leadership of head coach Roberto Mancini, the Azzurri seized control early by building a three-goal advantage within the opening 30 minutes.
Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the 9th minute with a close-range finish following a low corner delivery. Davide Frattesi capitalized on a loose ball to double the lead in the 22nd minute, before Michael Kayode added a third in the 27th minute on his senior national team debut.
Turkey attempted a recovery when Baris Yilmaz capitalized on defensive disorganization to pull a goal back in the 47th minute. However, any hopes of a comeback evaporated shortly after. A misplaced pass by goalkeeper Altay Bayindir sparked an Italian counterattack finished off by Pio Esposito’s diving header in the 50th minute, sealing the 4-1 scoreline.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Outguns Romania in Bucharest
Bosnia and Herzegovina earned a high-scoring 4-2 victory over Romania in Bucharest, building on their earlier 0-0 draw against Poland. Armin Gigović opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute, and Tarik Muharemović doubled the advantage seven minutes later.
Romania responded through Dani Birligea in the 28th minute, but Haris Tabaković restored a two-goal cushion for the visitors just before halftime with a strike in the 40th minute. Ermin Mahmić extended the lead to 4-1 in the 55th minute. Although Alex Cicaldau reduced the deficit for Romania in the 62nd minute, Bosnia comfortably saw out the remainder of the match.
Elsewhere in the group, Sweden defeated Poland 3-1 in Solna. Benjamin Nygren struck first for the hosts in the 8th minute before Sebastian Szymański equalized for Poland in the 43rd minute. Second-half goals from Yasin Ayari in the 63rd minute and Viktor Gyökeres in the 72nd minute secured maximum points for Sweden, who sit top of the group standings with six points from two games. Bosnia and Herzegovina trail closely with four points.
Group B2 Stalemates and Upcoming Fixtures
In League B Group 2 action, Northern Ireland and Hungary played out a scoreless draw in Belfast. The result mirrored the earlier fixture in Tbilisi, where Georgia and Ukraine also shared the points in a 0-0 stalemate.
Following two matchdays, Northern Ireland and Ukraine share the top spot with four points each, while Hungary and Georgia have collected one point apiece. Looking ahead to the third round of fixtures scheduled for October 2, France is set to host Italy, Belgium welcomes Turkey, Sweden travels to face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland takes on Romania, Northern Ireland visits Ukraine, and Hungary plays host to Georgia.
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