France secured a second consecutive Nations League victory with a 1-0 win away to Belgium on Monday night. Zinedine Zidane made nine changes to his starting lineup and handed three players their first international starts.
Zidane had promised rotation before the trip to Brussels. "Yes, there will be changes," the manager said. "There are eight or nine players who can come in at any time." He stayed true to his word, giving the captain's armband to Mike Maignan and starting Andy Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet, and Lucas Da Cunha for the first time. It was the first instance of three French players making their debut starts in the same match since August 11, 2010.
The match at the King Baudouin Stadium, played in front of 41,500 fans, saw a minor delay. Kick-off was pushed back due to issues with the French players' socks not staying up. On the pitch, the team implemented the high-pressing game Zidane has emphasized since taking charge. The new-look central defence of Jacquet and Maxence Lacroix held firm against a Belgian side missing several key figures like Leandro Trossard.
The win puts France top of Nations League Group A1 with six points, ahead of Belgium on three. It comes as Les Bleus also lead their World Cup qualifying group with a perfect nine points from three games. Their next fixture is already set: they host Italy at the Stade de France on October 2, before facing Belgium again at the same venue on November 5. The full schedule is available on our fixtures page.
Belgian striker Christian Benteke had predicted a tight contest. "I think it will be a good game," he said. "France-Belgium is always special." The player also spoke about the excitement surrounding new Belgium manager Mark van Bommel, praising his credibility after winning the title with Antwerp. For Zidane, the trip to Brussels held personal significance, having completed a coaching internship at Club Brugge back in 2015.
With this result, France remain unbeaten at the King Baudouin Stadium since September 1981, a venue that has hosted 23 of their matches, the most outside the Île-de-France region. The team must now cope without Kylian Mbappé, who is injured after scoring the winner against Turkey. The striker, who is the side's top scorer this season with ten goals, will also miss the Italy match. The full squad list can be found on our squad page.
Zidane's rotation gamble paid off while maintaining a winning momentum. France have now won two matches in four days and calmly prepare for the next phase of their campaign, with an eye on the Nations League standings.
Background and full detail: RMC Sport Football
