France come from behind to thrash Belgium 4-1
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PARIS, Oct 5 : France came from a goal down to beat Belgium 4-1 in their Nations League Group A1 meeting at the Stade de France on Monday, while Italy secured a 3-1 win over Turkey, their third consecutive match without a loss.
Zinedine Zidane secured his first home win in charge, three days after a 1-1 draw against Italy, thanks to his substitutes.
Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute, but Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise, all on the bench at kickoff, turned the match on its head in the final 15 minutes.
Doue levelled with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box in the 77th minute. Four minutes later, Cherki put his side in front, finishing from an Olise cross. Olise then completed a brace from close range just before and during stoppage time.
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“That’s football, that’s what we love. There were difficulties, but that’s part of the game, part of the kinds of matches you can have,” Zidane told TF1.
“It’s good to put things right, and that’s what we did with an extraordinary second half. We were just missing that final few metres in the first half, but then we turned the match around, it was good.”
Belgium took the lead when Lukebakio broke clear of a defence that was stepping up for offside to latch onto a long pass from Romeo Lavia, before scoring in a one-on-one with Guillaume Restes, who was earning his first cap.
The 2018 World Cup winners, playing without captain Kylian Mbappe, controlled possession but failed to create chances against a packed defensive block, making it an eighth consecutive match without scoring in the first half.
Then Olise and Cherki came off the bench on the hour mark, 12 minutes before Doue, and France became more dangerous.
“We played well at the end; in the first half it was difficult against their low block. After that we kept going and it was good in the end,” Olise told TF1.
“It’s a team effort, Zidane brings ideas and we follow them. We’re going to keep going like this.”
After Maarten Vandevoordt, who was also winning his first cap, denied efforts from Bradley Barcola, Esteban Lepaul, Olise and Cherki, the Belgian goalkeeper was unable to stop Doue’s strike.
The Paris St Germain winger levelled with a left-footed shot across goal from the edge of the box.
Four minutes later, Olise began his masterclass. He first delivered a cross for Cherki to score before completing a quickfire double from close range within three minutes to give France a resounding victory.
Italy’s victory over Turkey came with Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Pio Esposito scoring, while Aral Simsir had earlier equalised just after the hour mark.
Scamacca scored the opener with a close‑range volley that hit the crossbar before crossing the line.
Simsir levelled at the far post at the end of a beautiful team move from the Turks, but three minutes later Calafiori’s header from a Nicolo Barella free kick restored Italy’s lead.
Esposito scored the final goal after Issa Doumbia and Alessandro Romano had both failed to convert.
“Even though we had made a lot of changes, there was fatigue all around, and we struggled a bit,” coach Roberto Mancini told RAI.
“But we did well to score, and then to score again right after they equalised.”
France sit top with 10 points, three ahead of Italy and four clear of Belgium. Turkey are bottom with four defeats from four matches.
Source: Reuters
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