Zinedine Zidane’s France vision takes shape as Michael Olise seals Belgium win

Zinedine Zidane says no France player can be certain of a place in his starting XI after making nine changes for the 1-0 victory over Belgium.

Michael Olise scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute, shortly after coming on as a substitute, to give France a hard-fought win and cap an evening that delighted their manager.

The victory followed an unconvincing opening performance against Turkey, but Zidane was pleased with the way his reshaped side responded against Belgium. Several players were handed their first starts, including Da Cunha, Jaquet, Diouf and Lepaul.

Speaking to TF1 after the match, Zidane said: “Yes, and not only with the ball. Tonight was similar to the Turkey match, but the pitch was much better. We were excellent in everything, including our pressing, against a strong Belgian team.”

He added: “We held firm, and we were excellent and brave. We were not afraid to move into the opponent’s half, and that is what I liked. That is what we want.

“Perhaps we dropped off a little in the second half, but that is understandable because we made nine changes. The great thing is that everyone played, and that is what we like.”

Olise sparks wild celebrations

Olise’s late strike came after he had entered the game from the bench. The Bayern Munich player carried the ball into the Belgium defence, dribbled past a defender and fired a powerful left-footed shot into the net.

Zidane immediately ran along the touchline in celebration, while France’s substitutes also reacted with excitement. The manager later smiled as he recalled the moment and admitted he had been swept up in the goal.

“I don’t know what I did,” he said. “I saw Olise dribbling and thought to myself: he’s going to score. I was encouraging him with everything I had!”

It was Olise’s first goal for France under Zidane and provided one of the defining moments of the match.

‘Everyone has a role’

Zidane praised the contribution of the players brought into the side and insisted that selection remains open across the squad.

“That is exactly what it is about: we are all involved,” he said. “What I like about this team is that everyone feels a sense of belonging, and that is what I want for my team.

“Everyone must be involved and think: ‘I will contribute something.’ After that, it is for me to make the decisions, but they must be ready. They were all ready. We made nine changes and every one of them was exceptional.”

He also highlighted the performances of Da Cunha, Doue and Jaquet, but resisted singling out one player.

“It is difficult to talk about just one player,” Zidane said. “It is a team.”

France’s next match is against Italy at Stade de France, but Zidane said his immediate priority was recovery after a demanding period of travel and limited training.

“We need to rest,” he said. “We have travelled a lot and have not trained enough. I want my players to recover and get some rest. We will return home, and that is a good thing.”