Belgium suffered a frustrating home defeat, beaten 1-0 by France thanks to an 88th-minute goal from Michael Olise at the King Baudouin Stadium. The loss leaves the Red Devils with zero points after two UEFA Nations League A1 matches, a position reflected in our standings.
Mark van Bommel, who started his tenure with a 2-0 win in Italy, made only two changes to his starting lineup. Wingers Mika Godts and Dodi Lukebakio, scorers in the Rome victory, created chances but could not find the net. Goalkeeper Senne Lammens was beaten by Olise's curled finish into the bottom-left corner after the Bayern Munich substitute embarked on a solo run from his own half.
"Olise took the ball down on his shoulder in his own half then set off on a brilliant run," said the match-winner. Belgium came close to scoring themselves, with Lucas da Cunha hitting the post and Désiré Doué striking the crossbar. These attempts are part of the detailed statistics available in our stats section.
The Nations League Group A1 remains tight, with Italy on three points after a big win over Turkey. France now leads the group with four points. The Red Devils' next fixture is key: they host Turkey on October 2nd, a match to follow in our fixtures calendar.
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France manager Zinedine Zidane confirmed his side made nine changes from their previous match. Only goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Maxence Lacroix kept their places. Midfielder Lucas Da Cunha and striker Esteban Lepaul made their debuts. France will host Italy on Friday at the Stade de France. Captain Kylian Mbappé was absent, having returned to his club for treatment on a left knee injury.
