Zidane earns first France home win after Italy draw and Belgium comeback

Zinédine Zidane's return to the Stade de France was a home debut, not the beginning of his spell as France coach. His team had already won two away matches before facing Italy, according to AFP.

The October 2 fixture brought an added personal connection. Italy were the opponents when Zidane ended his playing career in the 2006 World Cup final, a history recalled by France24. France went into this meeting without the injured Mbappe, Al Jazeera reported.

On October 2, Michael Olise put France ahead with a free kick, but Alessandro Bastoni equalised for Italy, according to ANSA. Franceinfo reported that France conceded after an error playing the ball out. The match finished 1-1.

The assessments differed. Le Monde described France as more dominant, while Il Post said Italy had competed on equal terms. On October 3, Fanpage reported that Adrien Rabiot believed France deserved to win and said Zidane had delivered the same assessment in the dressing room.

Attention then turned to Belgium. L'Équipe reported that Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans would be suspended, as would France's Dayot Upamecano. On October 4, Franceinfo reported that Zidane was balancing players' physical condition with the need to remain competitive. That report put France's previous win in Brussels at 1-0.

On October 5, Zidane changed his starting team, with Guillaume Restes and Leny Yoro receiving their first France selections, according to Le Monde. Belgium took the lead through Lukébakio, CNN Brasil reported, and remained ahead until the 77th minute, according to La Repubblica.

France's substitutes transformed the finish. Franceinfo credited the introductions of Désiré Doué, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki with turning the match around. Olise scored twice and provided an assist, according to Al Jazeera, as France recovered from a goal down with 13 minutes remaining to win 4-1.

The Belgium result gave Zidane his first home win as France coach, according to Arab News. It also kept France top of their Nations League group, CNN Brasil reported. The match was the fourth and final fixture of his first gathering with the team, according to Le Monde.

The scoreline was convincing, but the route to it was not straightforward. France needed a late rescue after Belgium had led for much of the game. The clearest change from the Italy draw was the impact of the bench: Guardian Sport reported that France scored four goals in 14 minutes.