“Kevin De Bruyne booked for a foul as Belgium's midfield began to feel the pressure of France's sustained control.”
“France freshened up their attack with Ousmane Dembélé introduced, adding further firepower as they searched for a breakthrough.”
“Michael Olise scores the only goal of the match with a left-footed strike from outside the box after a fast break, assisted by Rayan Cherki.”
Pivotal
Belgium
France
Outstanding performance
France•AttackerFrance controlled the game from start to finish, racking up 65% possession and 18 shots to Belgium's 12, but found Belgium's rearguard stubborn until the closing stages. Despite generating 60 dangerous attacks compared to Belgium's 23, Les Bleus were repeatedly denied by a resilient home defense and goalkeeper, who made five saves to keep the scoreline level deep into the second half. The breakthrough finally came through Michael Olise, introduced as a substitute, who capitalized on a defensive foul and a swift break to fire home from distance in the 88th minute. For Belgium, the result extends a difficult run and leaves questions about their ability to convert defensive resilience into points, while France's narrow but professional win keeps their Nations League campaign on track heading into the next set of fixtures.
How entertaining was this match?
The fourth official has indicated there will be 3 minutes of added time.
Substitution for France: Manu Koné comes on for Lucas da Cunha.
assist: Rayan Cherki
Goal! France leads 1-0 against Belgium. Michael Olise scores with a left-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Rayan Cherki after a fast break.
Foul committed by Eduardo Camavinga of France.
Nicolas Raskin wins a free kick for Belgium in the defensive half.
Substitution for Belgium: Matias Fernandez-Pardo comes on for Charles De Ketelaere.
Substitution for Belgium: Nicolas Raskin comes on for Roméo Lavia.
Charles De Ketelaere from Belgium is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Jérémy Jacquet of France.
Nathan Ngoy from Belgium is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Rayan Cherki of France.
Charles De Ketelaere's left-footed shot from the center of the box is blocked. Mika Godts provided the assist.
Michael Olise of France commits a handball.
Belgium wins a corner after Maxence Lacroix concedes.
Attempt saved. Dodi Lukébakio's left-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the center of the goal by Mike Maignan. The shot was assisted by Youri Tielemans.
Substitution for France: Michael Olise comes on for Bradley Barcola.
Substitution for France: Rayan Cherki comes on for Maghnes Akliouche.
Mika Godts from Belgium attempts a left-footed shot from a challenging angle on the left, but it goes close and misses to the left. Roméo Lavia provides the assist.
Attempt missed. Youri Tielemans (Belgium) shoots with his left foot from outside the box, but it's too high. Dodi Lukébakio provided the assist.
Attempt saved. Dodi Lukébakio's right-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the center of the goal by Mike Maignan. The assist came from Charles De Ketelaere.
Substitution for Belgium: Maxim De Cuyper comes on for Joaquin Seys.
Substitution for France: Ousmane Dembélé comes on for Estéban Lepaul.
Youri Tielemans from Belgium is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Lucas da Cunha of France.
Youri TielemansYellow CardYouri Tielemans from Belgium receives a yellow card for a foul.
Lucas da Cunha from France is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Youri Tielemans commits a foul for Belgium.
Substitution for Belgium: Hans Vanaken comes on for Kevin De Bruyne.
Diego Moreira from Belgium misses a left-footed shot from outside the box, sending it to the right. The assist came from Youri Tielemans.
Substitution for Belgium: Dodi Lukébakio comes on for Diego Moreira.
Attempt saved. Désiré Doué's left-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner by Senne Lammens. The assist came from Maghnes Akliouche.
Corner awarded to France after Timothy Castagne concedes.
France wins a corner after Joaquin Seys concedes.
Foul committed by Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium).
Pierre Kalulu from France is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Kevin De BruyneYellow CardKevin De Bruyne of Belgium receives a yellow card for a bad foul.
Attempt saved. Désiré Doué's right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner by Senne Lammens. The shot was assisted by Maxence Lacroix.
Attempt missed. Estéban Lepaul (France) takes a right-footed shot from the center of the box but misses to the left.
Maghnes Akliouche's left-footed shot from the center of the box is blocked. He was assisted by Désiré Doué.
Charles De Ketelaere commits a foul for Belgium.
Jérémy Jacquet wins a free kick for France on the right wing.
Lucas da Cunha from France hits the right post with a left-footed shot from outside the box, assisted by Eduardo Camavinga.
Attempt missed. Bradley Barcola from France has a right-footed shot from the left side of the box that goes wide to the right. He was assisted by Désiré Doué.
Youri Tielemans commits a foul for Belgium.
Lucas da Cunha from France wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Désiré Doué (France) has a right-footed shot from the left side of the box that is close but goes to the right. Eduardo Camavinga provided the assist.
Attempt blocked. Désiré Doué's left-footed shot from the center of the box is blocked, assisted by Maghnes Akliouche.
Joaquin Seys from Belgium wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul committed by Pierre Kalulu of France.
The second half begins with the score at 0-0 between Belgium and France.
The first half ends with Belgium and France tied at 0-0.
The fourth official has indicated there will be 1 minute of added time.
Brandon Mechele commits a foul for Belgium.
Eduardo Camavinga from France is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium).
Eduardo Camavinga wins a free kick for France in the attacking half.
Diego MoreiraYellow CardDiego Moreira of Belgium receives a yellow card for a foul.
Diego Moreira commits a foul for Belgium.
Pierre Kalulu from France is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Estéban Lepaul's right-footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. He was assisted by Désiré Doué.
Corner awarded to France after Nathan Ngoy concedes.
Roméo Lavia commits a foul for Belgium.
Eduardo Camavinga wins a free kick for France in the attacking half.
Kevin De Bruyne from Belgium attempts a right-footed shot from outside the box, but it goes close and misses to the right. He was assisted by Charles De Ketelaere.
Mika Godts from Belgium misses a right-footed shot from the left side of the box, sending it to the right. Joaquin Seys provided the assist.
Delay is over, and they are ready to continue.
The match is delayed due to an injury to Kevin De Bruyne from Belgium.
Foul committed by Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium).
Andy Diouf from France is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Mika Godts from Belgium wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul committed by Eduardo Camavinga (France).
Roméo Lavia from Belgium wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Eduardo Camavinga (France).
Mika Godts commits a handball for Belgium.
Attempt saved. Maghnes Akliouche from France has a left-footed shot from outside the box, but it is saved in the bottom right corner by Senne Lammens from Belgium.
Pierre Kalulu's right-footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Eduardo Camavinga wins a free kick for France in the attacking half.
Foul committed by Joaquin Seys of Belgium.
Attempt blocked. Eduardo Camavinga's left-footed shot from outside the box for France is blocked.
Kevin De Bruyne from Belgium misses the attempt with a left-footed shot from over 35 yards, sending it high and wide to the left after a fast break.
France wins a corner after Joaquin Seys concedes.
Mika Godts from Belgium is awarded a free kick on the left wing.
Foul committed by Pierre Kalulu of France.
Attempt saved. Bradley Barcola's right-footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top center of the goal by Senne Lammens. Eduardo Camavinga provided the assist.
Attempt saved. Estéban Lepaul's right-footed shot from the center of the box is saved by Senne Lammens in the center of the goal. The shot was assisted by Désiré Doué with a cross.
Kevin De Bruyne's right-footed shot from the center of the box is blocked. He was assisted by Mika Godts.
Mika Godts commits a foul for Belgium.
Eduardo Camavinga wins a free kick for France in the defensive half.
Offside called against France. Maghnes Akliouche is caught offside.
Désiré Doué hits the bar with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, assisted by Maghnes Akliouche.
Attempt missed. Pierre Kalulu (France) takes a right-footed shot from outside the box, but it goes to the left after a corner.
France wins a corner after Kevin De Bruyne concedes.
France wins a corner after Mika Godts concedes.
Estéban Lepaul from France misses the attempt with a right-footed shot from the center of the box, sending it high and wide to the right. Pierre Kalulu provided the assist.
Brandon Mechele of Belgium misses a header from the center of the box, sending it to the left. The attempt was assisted by Kevin De Bruyne, who delivered a cross after a corner.
Belgium wins a corner after Jérémy Jacquet concedes.
First half begins.
Two Nations League early pacesetters collide in Brussels as Belgium, fresh off a 2-0 win over Italy, welcome a France side missing injured superstar Kylian Mbappé. Both teams sit level on three points, making this an early statement match in League A.
