Matchday 2 of the Nations League
Belgium v France
Scorers:
Mark van Bommel's Belgium and Zinedine Zidane's France both made winning starts to the new managerial era in the opening round of the Nations League, setting up this evening's headline clash. Kick-off is at 20:45 at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels for matchday two in Group I, which also includes Italy.
The Red Devils swept aside the Azzurri 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. They are the only team to have scored against Spain, who then won the World Cup in the summer, and they have already matched the number of victories they managed in the previous Nations League group stage, which ultimately forced them into a relegation play-off that they then came through.
Now Belgium want to relaunch themselves and repeat what they did in 2020/21, when they reached the semi-finals before losing to France, who then went on to win the tournament. Zinedine Zidane's much-anticipated debut in charge of France ended in a 1-0 away win in Turkey, but the knee injury suffered by the team's all-time top scorer, Kylian Mbappé, after the decisive goal partly spoiled the celebrations. Les Bleus must do without their standard-bearer as they try to come through the group for the third time in the last four editions of the Nations League. France have won each of the last five meetings, including the three played in the Nations League. Belgium's last official win against Les Bleus dates back to September 1981.
