Zidane, Mancini earn first home wins; France beats Belgium 4-1 in Nations League

France staged a dramatic late-match comeback to defeat Belgium 4-1 on Monday in UEFA Nations League Group A1 play at the Stade de France, giving Zinedine Zidane his first home victory as national coach. Trailing 1-0 until the 77th minute, France scored four goals in the final 14 minutes through substitutes Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki, and Michael Olise, who netted twice. Belgium had taken the lead in the 35th minute when Dodi Lukébakio converted a long pass from Roméo Lavia past debutant France goalkeeper Guillaume Restes. Olise, who plays for Bayern Munich, has now been directly involved in 17 goals in 16 games for France in 2026. "We knew the substitutes could change the game because they are high-quality players," Zidane said after the match. "But once again, it was a complete team performance." The victory extended France's lead atop Group A1 to three points over Italy.

Roberto Mancini also secured his first home win since returning to coach Italy, leading the Azzurri to a 3-1 victory over Turkey in Bologna. Gianluca Scamacca gave Italy an early lead in the 26th minute when a cross bounced off a Turkey defender's shoulder and back to him for a volley. Aral Şimşir equalized for Turkey in the 61st minute, but Italy regained the advantage three minutes later through Riccardo Calafiori's header from a Nicolò Barella free kick. Pio Esposito sealed the win late on, becoming only the second Italy player to score seven international goals before turning 21. Turkey, which entered the match having scored just one goal across three matches while conceding eight, remains without a point in the group.

The two results shaped Group A1 standings: France leads with 10 points from four matches, Italy advanced to second place, Belgium dropped to third on six points, and Turkey remains winless. Zidane, who began his tenure with wins over Turkey and Belgium away and a home draw with Italy on his debut last Friday, has yet to officially secure France's qualification for the quarterfinals. The campaign also saw Sweden extend Victor Gyökeres' record Nations League scoring streak to seven games with a 1-0 away victory over Romania, Gyökeres' fourth goal of the tournament.