Zidane's France Follow Italy Draw With Late Comeback Against Belgium

Zinédine Zidane's return to the Stade de France on October 2 was his first home match as France coach, not his first match in charge. France had already won two away games, according to AFP.

Italy brought a familiar edge to the occasion. As France24 reported, Zidane's home debut came against the country he faced when his playing career ended in 2006. This time, the evening ended with a 1-1 Nations League draw.

On October 2, Michael Olise put France ahead with a free kick, but Alessandro Bastoni equalised, according to ANSA. Franceinfo reported that Italy's equaliser followed a French error while playing out from the back.

The next day's coverage reflected different assessments of the contest. Il Post described Italy as having matched France, while Le Monde reported that France had been more dominant. On October 3, Fanpage reported Adrien Rabiot's view that France had dominated and deserved to win, an assessment he said Zidane had shared in the dressing room.

By October 4, attention had shifted to another home match, against Belgium. Franceinfo reported that Zidane was preparing further changes while balancing players' physical condition with the need to remain competitive. France had beaten Belgium 1-0 in Brussels a week earlier.

On October 5, Zidane changed his starting side and gave Guillaume Restes and Leny Yoro their first France appearances, according to Le Monde. Belgium then took the lead through Lukébakio, CNN Brasil reported.

France's substitutes transformed the match. Franceinfo credited the introductions of Désiré Doué, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki with driving the turnaround. Olise scored twice and supplied an assist as France recovered from 1-0 down with 13 minutes left to win 4-1, according to Al Jazeera.

The Belgium result gave Zidane his first home victory as France coach, ESPN FC reported on October 6. France also retained the Nations League group lead, according to CNN Brasil. The Italy draw remains the interruption between two opening away victories and a convincing final score against Belgium.

Olise has been central to that start. DER SPIEGEL reported on October 6 that he had been involved in six of France's seven goals under Zidane. His free kick against Italy could not secure a win, but his contribution against Belgium helped turn a looming defeat into a clear victory.