Head coach Zinedine Zidane celebrates a first home win as France crush Belgium 4-1 in the Nations League

France head coach Zinedine Zidane gives instructions from the sidelines during the Nations League soccer match between France and Belgium in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez) France scored four times in the final 14 minutes to beat Belgium 4-1 in the Nations League on Monday, giving Zinedine Zidane his first home win as national coach.Belgium were in for a surprise win after Dodi Lukebakio put them through in the 35th minute. But French substitutes turned the game around late on, with Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise scoring four goals between the 77th and 91st minutes.

France turned the game around late on

Doué equalized with a low shot in the 77th minute before Cherki’s effort took a strange deflection off Belgium goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt to put France ahead.Olise then scored twice in three minutes to complete a remarkable comeback.“Tonight it’s football, that’s what we love,” Zidane said. “We faced some difficulties in the first half but that’s part of the game; it’s the kind of game you get from time to time. It’s good to put things right – which we did – and we were able to play an outstanding second half.”Zidane praised his substitutes and overall team effort.“We knew that the substitutes could change the game because they are high-quality players,” Zidane said. “But again it was a complete team performance; even though the substitutes could have made a difference when they came on, they’ve all been good in the last two weeks – everyone’s played their part and that’s what stands out to me.”The result kept France top of Group A1, three points ahead of Italy, who beat Turkey 3-1. Belgium is third, four points behind France.“It’s also a collective effort,” Olise said. “He (Zidane) brings ideas, we follow them – that’s what we’ve done in the last four games, we’ll continue like that.”

Italy and Sweden also win

Italy recovered from Turkey’s equalizer to win 3-1 as Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Pio Esposito scored.Meanwhile, Victor Gyökeres scored again as Sweden beat Romania 1-0. It was his seventh Nations League game with a goal and his fourth of the campaign.Northern Ireland remained top of Group B2 after a 0-0 draw with Georgia, while Hungary beat Ukraine 2-1.