The Nations League vibes are high after a night of pure drama. Michael Olise is officially the main character for France, bagging a last-minute stunner to take down Belgium 1-0 in Brussels. Coming off the bench in the 77th minute, Olise went on an absolute tear from his own half, dribbling deep into the box before curling a shot past Senne Lammens in the 88th minute.
France stays unbeaten
It’s a massive W for head coach Zinedine Zidane, who is now two-for-two. The squad was playing without Kylian Mbappé, who headed back to Real Madrid with a knee injury, but the team still had the momentum. Désiré Doué rattled the bar and debutant Lucas Da Cunha hit the post, proving France has the depth to thrive. They’re now sitting pretty at the top of Group A1 with six points.
Italy goes off
Meanwhile, Italy totally reset the narrative. After that rough 2-0 loss to Belgium, they pulled up to Bursa and dismantled Turkey 4-1. The goals came fast, with Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, and Michael Kayode putting the game away within the first 30 minutes. Pio Esposito added a header to cap it off, and he even shared the pitch with his brother Sebastiano—a historic duo not seen since 1915.
More around the league
- Northern Ireland: Held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Hungary, with Patrick Kelly narrowly missing a beauty off the crossbar.
- Sweden: Solidified their group lead by taking down Poland 3-1, with Arsenal’s Victor Gyökeres sealing the deal.
- Montenegro: Aleksa Latkovic pulled a last-minute miracle, scoring in the 89th minute to beat Armenia 3-2.
Why it matters
France is maintaining a perfect record under Zidane, while Italy has officially entered its redemption era. With the group standings tightening up, every point in these international fixtures is highkey critical for the upcoming knockout stages.
