Zidane ends 32-year France curse with victory over Turkey in first match as coach

Zinedine Zidane ended a 32-year wait for France coaches by winning his first match in charge of Les Bleus as France beat Turkey 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League on Friday.

Zidane, who has Algerian roots, became the first France manager since Aimé Jacquet in 1994 to win his opening match as national team coach.

Jacquet led France to a 1-0 victory over Italy in Naples on 16 February 1994, with Youri Djorkaeff scoring the only goal.

Zidane breaks long-standing record

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, five France coaches had taken charge of their first matches without securing victory since Jacquet’s successful start.

Roger Lemerre drew 2-2 with Austria in 1998, while Jacques Santini began his tenure with a 1-1 draw against Tunisia in 2002.

Raymond Domenech also drew his first match, playing out a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2004.

Laurent Blanc suffered a 2-1 defeat by Norway in his first match in 2010, before Didier Deschamps started with a goalless draw against Uruguay in 2012.

Zidane’s victory against Turkey therefore ended the unusual sequence that had stood since Jacquet’s first match in 1994.

Jacquet link adds to Zidane’s story

There is an added connection between Zidane and Jacquet.

It was Jacquet who handed Zidane his first appearance for the France national team as a player in August 1994, when he featured against the Czech Republic.

More than three decades later, Zidane has now matched one of his former coach’s achievements by winning his first game in charge of France.