France head coach Zinedine Zidane expressed his delight after his team’s come-from-behind 4-1 win against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Monday. Les Bleus were trailing by 1-0 until the 77th minute but substitutes Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise (two) scored four goals in 14 minutes to turn the match in France’s favor.
It was an unbelievable comeback from Zidane’s team, who didn’t throw in the towel despite trailing after Dodi Lukebakio scored in the 35th minute.
“Tonight, this is soccer, this is what we love,” Zidane said after the game. “We faced some difficulties in the first half, but that’s part of the game; it’s the kind of match you get from time to time. It’s good to set things right – which is what we did — and we managed to play an extraordinary second half.”
Michael Olise, who led France in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, said it was a collective effort from his team.
“It’s a collective effort, too,” Olise said. “He [Zidane] brings in ideas, we follow them — we’ve done that well over the last four matches, we’re going to continue like this.”
After this win, France have now 10 points in four games under their belt, with three wins and one draw in Group A of the Nations League. But they have not yet booked a spot in the quarterfinals.
Zidane was confident that the substitutes would be able to turn a corner.
“We knew the substitutes could change the game because they are high-quality players,” Zidane said. “But, once again, it was a complete team performance; while the substitutes might have made the difference when they came on, everyone has been good over these past two weeks — everyone played their part, and that’s what stands out to me.”
France will next face Italy on 12th November.
