Michael Olise absolutely detonated on Belgium, scoring twice and setting up Rayan Cherki, all within a mind-blowing 25-minute cameo that sparked France’s 4-1 comeback victory. This wasn’t just any win, either. It marked Zinedine Zidane’s first triumph at Stade de France, a night that felt destined for frustration until the substitutes flipped the script completely. France, after struggling to turn their early dominance into goals, roared back in a way nobody saw coming, and it was all thanks to a bench full of game-changers.
The Bench Mob Explodes
Belgium actually jumped out to an early lead with Dodi Lukebakio bagging his second goal of the competition. For a while, Les Bleus looked stuck, unable to convert their pressure. Then, Zidane made the call. Olise, Cherki, Lucas Da Cunha, and Desire Doue hit the pitch, and the game instantly became a different animal. These four “supersubs” were directly involved in every single one of France’s four goals, all scored from the 77th minute mark onwards. Doue kicked off the rally with the equalizer, a massive moment that sent a jolt through the stadium. Just four minutes later, Olise, who was absolutely everywhere, delivered a perfectly timed assist for Cherki’s go-ahead goal. And then, the FC Bayern superstar just kept coming, sealing the 4-1 rout with two late goals himself. Doue, not content with one assist, set up both of Olise’s strikes, with Olise showing incredible composure against RB Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, who unfortunately had to retrieve the ball from his net four times on his Belgium debut.
Olise’s Unstoppable Rise and Group A1 Dominance
This wasn’t a one-off for the 24-year-old Olise. He’s been the main man for France in their UEFA Nations League campaign, stepping up big time in the absence of an injured Kylian Mbappe and a struggling Ousmane Dembele. Including his substitute appearances in both matches against Belgium, Olise has now notched four goals and two assists in France’s first four games under Zidane. That’s serious production, making him France’s primary go-to man right now. Thanks to this epic comeback, France now sits comfortably atop Group A1. It’s not just about them though, because Italy also made moves, climbing past Belgium after securing their second win over Türkiye, who are still stuck on zero points in the group.
What’s next for Les Bleus? They’ve got the final two rounds of games coming up in November’s international break. With Olise playing like this and Zidane getting his first home win under his belt, France has some serious momentum heading into the homestretch of the group stage. Meanwhile, in other League B action, Bosnia and Herzegovina, starting life without Edin Džeko, grabbed a narrow win over Poland, with Nikola Katic and Ermedin Demirovic featuring for them, and Mateusz Zukowski stepping in for the suspended Robert Lewandowski. It’s going to be a wild finish in November!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply