Brilliant Michael Olise individual strike wins for France at Belgium’s expense. Michael Olise’s stunning individual goal was the difference as France edged Belgium in the UEFA Nations League Group A1 clash at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
Once all tied up in the 40th minute, Les Bleus were embroiled in a close battle through most of the night. France dominated possession for lengthy spells and fired plenty of shots at Thibaut Courtois, but struggled to break down the well-organized Belgian defensive bloc. Dris Dou only hit the crossbar for France during the first half, before another shot hit the post early in the second stanza, while Belgian counter-attacks became more menacing.
With the game seemingly heading for a 0-0 deadlock, Zinedine Zidane turned to the bench and made a double substitution in the 77th minute to try and invigorate the attack. Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise replaced Bradley Barcola in a like-for-like change. The 24-year-old was quick to make an impact and delivered a strike in the 88th minute that deflected off a Belgian defender. Running up from his own half, the Bayern Munich man used his pace, balance, and control to beat four Belgian defenders before dribbling past goalkeeper Senne Lammens; he curled a shot from the left into the bottom right corner of the net.
The late goal completed France’s second successive victory of the tournament and continued their dominance in the head-to-head record with their neighbours. The narrow success saw France top their Nations League group with maximum points, with Olise’s match-winner demonstrating their strength in depth and the usefulness of captain changes in the international break.
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