Olise’s late goal lifts France past Belgium as Italy beat Türkiye 4-1

France beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels on 28 September after Michael Olise scored in the 88th minute, giving Zinedine Zidane’s side six points from its first two Nations League matches. Italy also recovered from an opening defeat, beating Türkiye 4-1 in Bursa with three goals before the half-hour mark. The results set up a meeting between France and Italy in Paris on Friday.

Olise breaks the deadlock in Brussels

Olise began on the bench and replaced Bradley Barcola in the 77th minute with the match still goalless. He carried the ball from inside his own half towards the Belgium penalty area, then curled a left-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Senne Lammens. It was the only goal of a match in which France had already struck the woodwork twice.

Désiré Doué hit the crossbar in the first half, and Lucas Da Cunha struck a post early in the second, according to the agency report published by The Guardian. Those chances mattered because France had been unable to turn its earlier opportunities into a lead. Olise’s run and finish finally separated the teams with two minutes of normal time remaining.

Zidane had made nine changes from the side that faced Türkiye in France’s previous match. So Foot reported from the King Baudouin Stadium that Mike Maignan and Maxence Lacroix were the two players retained in the starting side. The reshuffle included a first France start for Da Cunha, whose shot against the post was one of the visitors’ clearest opportunities before Olise scored.

So Foot described Belgium as a team in a new cycle and noted that the hosts had periods of pressure. Its account said Kevin De Bruyne threatened with a cross, a curling shot and a long-range lob, while substitute Dodi Lukebakio tested Maignan later on. None produced an equaliser after Olise’s intervention.

Italy’s first-half surge in Bursa

Italy’s response to its 2-0 opening defeat by Belgium was much more emphatic. Roberto Mancini’s side led Türkiye 3-0 inside 26 minutes in rainy conditions in Bursa. ANSA reported that Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the ninth minute after a corner, Davide Frattesi added the second in the 22nd, and debutant Michael Kayode scored four minutes later.

ANSA described a changed Italy team that pressed quickly and controlled much of the first half. It said Mancini had changed eight of the 11 starters from the Belgium match. Kayode and Sebastiano Esposito made their Italy debuts, while Sandro Tonali played a central role in the reorganised side. The three-goal lead gave Italy room to withstand a more difficult spell after the interval.

Türkiye pulled a goal back just after half-time through Barış Yılmaz. Italy restored its three-goal advantage within five minutes: Tonali hit the post and Pio Esposito headed in the rebound. Yılmaz later had another effort disallowed because a teammate was offside, according to the reports by ANSA and The Guardian. The 4-1 score held despite further Turkish pressure.

The Esposito brothers also marked a rare Italy selection. Pio and Sebastiano started together, becoming the first brothers to do so for the national team since Aldo and Luigi Cevenini in 1915, ANSA and The Guardian reported. Their involvement was part of Mancini’s extensive changes after the Belgium defeat; Pio’s goal helped prevent Türkiye’s early second-half reply from developing into a closer finish.

Group A1’s next test

France finished the night top of Group A1 on six points after two matches. Italy’s win followed its loss to Belgium, but the group campaign remains at an early stage. ANSA assessed the result as easing Italy’s immediate concern about finishing bottom; it did not settle the group standings. France are due to host Italy at the Stade de France on Friday, giving both teams a direct test after their contrasting wins on 28 September.