France beat Belgium late as Northern Ireland draw with Hungary in Nations League

France beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels on Monday after Michael Olise scored two minutes from time, while Northern Ireland drew 0-0 with Hungary in Belfast. The draw left Northern Ireland level with Ukraine on four points at the top of Nations League Group B2 ahead of their meeting on Friday.

The two matches produced sharply different endings. UEFA described Belgium against France as a contest that could have gone either way before Olise’s run and finish settled it. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, created chances against Hungary but could not turn them into a second win from their opening two group games.

Olise decides the match in Brussels

Olise began his decisive run near halfway, carried the ball through Belgium’s defence and finished to give Zinédine Zidane’s France side the points, according to UEFA’s matchday account. The goal came with two minutes of normal time remaining and broke a deadlock that had survived several chances at both ends.

France had twice struck the woodwork. Désiré Doué hit the crossbar in the first half, and Lucas Da Cunha struck the base of a post after the break. UEFA identified Dodi Lukébakio as the Belgian player who came closest to scoring. Those chances made Olise’s late intervention decisive in a match UEFA said could have gone either way.

The Guardian’s preview also noted that Belgium were without Jérémy Doku for their win in Italy and that his replacement, Mika Godts, had impressed. Its account was written before Monday’s matches; the confirmed score and decisive chances in Brussels come from UEFA’s subsequent matchday report.

Northern Ireland held despite first-half chances

At Windsor Park, Northern Ireland had much of the stronger first-half play but finished level with Hungary. Patrick Kelly twice went close: Balázs Tóth reached his attempted chip, then Kelly’s sliced effort clipped the crossbar. Both the Irish Football Association and Sky Sports recorded the chances in their accounts of the goalless draw.

Michael O’Neill made one change to the side that had beaten Georgia, with Ruairi McConville replacing the injured Daniel Ballard in defence. Early attempts from Ethan Galbraith and Isaac Price were blocked, while Trai Hume shot wide. Kelly’s two opportunities offered Northern Ireland their clearest route to a lead before half-time.

Hungary came forward more after the interval. András Schäfer missed the target with two efforts, and substitute Donát Bárány headed over. Northern Ireland still had a chance to break through when Price’s low shot forced Tóth to push the ball behind for a corner. Sky Sports described the home side as the better team but unable to find a goal.

The closing stages also required Northern Ireland to defend. McConville blocked a close-range effort from Willi Orbán, and goalkeeper Pierce Charles saved a shot from substitute Alex Tóth in the 90th minute. Sky Sports said Hungary finished with one shot on target. The Irish FA recorded 10 attempts for each team across the match.

The match was at times ill-tempered. Sky Sports reported bookings for Northern Ireland players Shea Charles, Jamie Donley, Isaac Price and Ethan Galbraith, as well as O’Neill. The Irish FA called the contest niggly and feisty, but its match report said Northern Ireland had to settle for a point after failing to convert their chances.

Joint leaders meet next

Northern Ireland’s position follows a 1-0 win in Georgia on Friday. Ukraine also beat Hungary 1-0 that day, then drew 0-0 with Georgia on Monday. The Irish FA said those results left Northern Ireland and Ukraine together on four points after two games, with Hungary and Georgia on one point each.

Northern Ireland are due to face Ukraine on Friday in Trnava, according to the Irish FA, before hosting Georgia the following Monday. The draw with Hungary kept O’Neill’s side unbeaten in the group, but it also means Friday’s fixture will bring together two teams with identical points totals after the opening two rounds.