Zidane's France do it again, late

Brussels was tight for long stretches, the kind of Nations League night where both sides looked more interested in not losing than in winning. Belgium held their shape, France probed without much reward, and it took a substitute to break the pattern.

Michael Olise, brought on from the bench, scored the goal that decided it, arriving late enough to feel decisive and early enough that Zidane's side didn't have to hold on for long. It's the kind of moment a new manager wants attached to his name early: not a comfortable win built over ninety minutes, but a specific, late, matchwinning intervention from a player he trusts to change a game.

For Olise, it continues a run that has quietly become one of the most productive in the France squad. He's gone from a floating creative role at Crystal Palace to a genuinely prolific spell at Bayern Munich, a run of goals and assists that's kept him central to both club and country. A manager looking for someone to change a game from the bench has an obvious name to call.

Zidane, two from two

This is Zidane's second Nations League win in as many matches in charge, and the manner of it matters as much as the result. Belgium away is not a formality, and grinding out a 1-0 via a substitute's late strike is a different kind of statement to a routine home win. It suggests a squad that can find something when a game isn't opening up, which is exactly the trait Zidane will want banked before the group gets harder.

Elsewhere in the group

Italy didn't need a late twist. They routed Turkey 4-1, a scoreline that keeps them squarely in the competitive mix, according to the Guardian's coverage of the round. Sweden beat Poland 3-1 in the same set of fixtures, while Northern Ireland and Hungary played out a goalless draw, the kind of result that changes very little but costs nobody anything either.

None of it reshapes the group on its own, but it keeps the picture crowded, Italy scoring freely, Sweden picking up points, and France finding a way to win ugly. For Zidane, that last part might be the most useful lesson of the two games so far.