Zinedine Zidane hails 'extraordinary' France after Michael Olise masterclass inspires dramatic Nations League comeback against Belgium

Zidane has secured his first home victory as France manager following a dramatic 4-1 Nations League win over Belgium. Les Bleus left it incredibly late at the Stade de France, overturning a one-goal deficit in the closing stages.

Three second-half substitutes completely changed the trajectory of the match. Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Olise scored four goals in a blistering 14-minute spell to secure a crucial three points. The result strengthens France's grip on Group A1. Zidane's side now sit three points clear of Italy, who earned a 3-1 victory over Turkey on the same night.

Belgium silenced the home crowd in the 35th minute when Dodi Lukebakio beat the offside trap. He raced onto a superb long pass from Romeo Lavia to slot the ball past debutant goalkeeper Guillaume Restes.

France struggled to find a breakthrough until Zidane turned to his bench, and the tactical shift paid off spectacularly. Doue levelled the scoring in the 77th minute with a precise low strike into the bottom right corner.

Four minutes later, Cherki forced a mistake from Maarten Vandevoordt, with the ball rebounding off the goalkeeper to give France the lead. Olise then took centre stage, netting twice in three minutes to complete the demolition.

The late blitz highlighted the incredible depth at Zidane's disposal. However, the legendary Frenchman was quick to praise the entire squad for their application throughout the international window.

"Tonight, this is soccer, this is what we love," Zidane said, as quoted by ESPN. "We faced some difficulties in the first half, but that's part of the game, it's the kind of match you get from time to time. It's good to set things right - which is what we did - and we managed to play an extraordinary second half."

Olise echoed his manager's sentiments after his match-winning cameo, saying: "It's a collective effort, too. He [Zidane] brings in ideas, we follow them - we've done that well over the last four matches, we're going to continue like this."

France are now on the brink of securing their place in the Nations League quarter-finals. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages next year.

Zidane's men would have guaranteed their progression had Italy dropped points against Türkiye. Instead, they must wait until the final international break of the year to officially seal their spot. Les Bleus will conclude their group stage campaign in November. They face a crucial trip to Italy before returning home to host Türkiye in their final Group A1 fixture.