France Defeat Belgium to Get Their Nations League Campaign Back on Track

Following a lackluster performance in the UEFA Nations League opener in which they lost 3-1 to Italy, France bounced back with a professional 2-0 victory over their traditional rivals, Belgium.

French head coach Didier Deschamps gave some of his star players, including Kylian Mbappe, Bradley Barcola, and Antoine Griezmann, a breather for their clash against Belgium. But you wouldn't have known it from the performance on the pitch. Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele stepped up, each finding the back of the net to guide France to their first Nations League win. Belgium came out firing, dominating the early exchanges, but France slowly grew into the game.  

And in the 29th minute, it was Kolo Muani who scored from a parried Dembele shot. That goal marked Kolo Muani's fifth in his last six appearances for France, with his only blank coming in the Euros quarterfinal against Portugal. Talk about stepping up when it counts. France had the chance to double their lead on multiple occasions, with both Matteo Guendouzi and Marcus Thuram testing Keon Casteels before the break. However, Les Bleus headed into the break with a narrow one-goal advantage. 

France began the second half as they ended the first – on the front foot. Just 10 minutes into the second half, Ousmane Dembele handed Les Bleus a two-goal advantage, as the PSG winger lashed in a curler after jinking past two Belgium defenders. Dembele’s goal jolted Belgium back into action, reigniting their intensity as they took control of possession while France slipped into a more defensive setup. The introductions of Mbappe and Barcola did little to turn the tide. However, French rearguard held firm, as the Red Devils could note create anything of note to test Mike Maignan. 

Following their 2-0 win over Belgium, Les Bleus face Israel on 11th October and Belgium again on 15th October in their next to Nations League games. Meanwhile, Belgium have clashes against Italy (11th October) and France (15th October) lined up ahead.   

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