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Key moments
Goal, goal, goal, goal for France! That was the fourth of the match; they capitalized on home advantage and the dominance shown in the first half. What a great play by Doué—the ball fell to Michael Olise, who struck it into the back of the net, securing a brace.
Goal, goal, goal, goal for France! The hosts struck again; they built a dangerous attack into the box, and the ball fell to Michael Olise, who simply tapped it in, putting it out of the goalkeeper's reach.
France made a substitution, looking to cap off a match they were winning at that point. Adrien Rabiot entered the pitch; the veteran aimed to finish the game on a high note and contribute positively for his team. Eduardo Camavinga was the one coming off.
Two more changes for the Belgian squad; the visiting team kept pushing to create dangerous chances, score goals, and avoid a heavy defeat. Moreira, Vanaken, and Lavia left the match—they put in a good performance but couldn't quite convert their chances. Openda, Trossard, and Keïta came on.
Goal, goal, goal—a good for France! A surprise second goal; the French side had regained its confidence. This time, it was a fine move starting from midfield: Michael Olise carried the ball forward and delivered a cross, and Rayan Cherki finished it off inside the box to put his team in the lead.
Goal, goal, goal, goal for France! The match was level at the Stade de France; following a good passage of play, the ball fell to Désiré Doué, who turned and found the space to strike it powerfully and equalize.
They wanted more! They kept pressing and looking for ways to orchestrate attacks—a strong spell for the home side. Bradley Barcola decided to unleash a powerful right-footed shot from the center of the box in search of a good, but it went wide and drifted harmlessly over the end line.
Two substitutions for the Belgian squad; the team wasn't satisfied with what they had achieved so far and was looking to create more scoring chances. Romelu Lukaku and Dodi Lukebakio were the players leaving the pitch—having contributed positively to their team's efforts—while Charles De Ketelaere and Mika Godts came on.
The visiting goalkeeper had no trouble gathering the ball after Michael Olise sent a somewhat risky effort toward the Belgian goal; the delivery posed no real threat to the opposition, as the defense was fully alert, and a good opportunity to score the equalizer went begging.
Rayan Cherki created a dangerous opportunity by delivering a good ball to Michael Olise, who managed to fire a powerful shot from outside the box; however, the effort was saved, denying the home side an equalizer in this challenging match.
France made changes in an effort to equalize and capitalize on promising attacking spells. Three substitutions were made: Akliouche, Dembélé, and Koné left the pitch, replaced by Cherki, Olise, and Da Cunha, who looked to get on the scoresheet.
Lavia looked to spark an attack after trying to win the ball from Lepaul, but he ended up committing a foul for dangerous play, thereby squandering the chance to create a scoring opportunity and go for a second goal.
Dembélé won possession; the French side kept pressing and looking for a way to open the scoring. The attacker posed a threat, unleashing a powerful strike from the center of the box, but the ball went wide, failing to yield a result for his team.
Belgium tried to orchestrate attacks; the Belgian squad had been fighting hard for possession, looking to net a second goal, yet they hadn't quite regrouped following the 15-minute break. They needed to settle down again and look to add to their opening goal.
The ball was back in play on French soil; the home side needed to capitalize on their promising attacking spells to find the equalizer. Both teams took the field with the same starting lineups, looking to continue creating dangerous chances.
Halftime. The first half ended; there was a surprise as the underdog led by a narrow margin, despite France having dominated the match. It remained to be seen what both squads would bring to the second half and whether they would adjust their starting lineups to keep creating scoring chances.
The referee signaled two minutes of stoppage time following the regulation 45 minutes, accounting for time lost during the first half. It remained to be seen how this closing stretch would unfold and if either team could add another goal to the scoreboard—whether to equalize or secure the win.
The first half was drawing to a close; Manu Koné looked to create another dangerous attacking opportunity to score the equalizer. He sent in a cross that reached Dembélé, who tried to strike the ball with great power to catch the defense off guard and level the score, but the attempt was ultimately blocked.
Barcola kept trying to find a way to level the score, yet the forward failed to create a genuine scoring chance for the French side. Time was ticking away, and the home team had been unable to capitalize on home-field advantage, trailing by a single goal at that point.
Goal, goal, goal, goal for Belgium! The visiting team sprang a surprise, opening the scoring after half an hour of play. The Belgians orchestrated a brilliant move after getting in behind the French defense; the ball reached Lukebakio, who sprinted forward and finished clinically past Restes to net the opener.
Unbelievable! Lepaul kept trying to get that first goal that would have given his team an advantage, but the striker ended up losing the ball after his pass went over the goal without accomplishing anything.
The match was a hard-fought affair, with both sides orchestrating a constant back-and-forth but failing to unleash a powerful strike that could open the scoring. It was worth noting that the French team was the one applying pressure on the goal guarded by Vandeboordt.
Camavinga and Koundé were moving the ball around, looking for a way to penetrate the Belgian defense; they were circulating possession in search of a gap to exploit and create a dangerous attacking opportunity. Despite maintaining a high press, they had yet to create anything.
After twenty minutes of pressing and trying to open the scoring, France saw the ball reach Eduardo Camavinga following a fine pass from Manu Koné; Camavinga unleashed a powerful strike aimed straight at the Belgian goal, but the ball was ultimately kept out.
What a moment! Belgium successfully broke up the play France was orchestrating; Lepaul was unable to build any significant momentum for his team after the ball was intercepted. The match got off to a lively start.
They were pushing for the goal! Dembélé delivered a good cross into the box looking for a finish, but Lepaul failed to connect with the ball, which sailed well over the crossbar. The French side continued to apply high pressure.
They were hungry for a good Belgium created their first real attacking threat; Romelu Lukaku unleashed a powerful strike, but his effort went wide of the target, failing to open the scoring. It was turning out to be a lively, fast-paced match.
France continued to orchestrate risky plays up front; however, they were not accurate when it came to finishing the ball to go for that first goal. It was a fiercely contested match. What a great game.
Close call for the home side! What a great opportunity the home team had! Barcola was driving the ball, looking to create danger up front and create a good play, but he didn't read it correctly and ended up losing possession.
Match starts!
The game kicked off! The referee blew his whistle to signal the start of play, and the France vs. Belgium match on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Nations League was underway at the Stade de France. It remained to be seen who would come away with the three points.
Substitutes - Belgium
These are the players on Belgium's bench:
12. Senne Lammens (🧤), 13. Mike Penders (🧤), 3. Zeno Debast, 14. Arthur Theate, 15. Maxim De Cuyper, 16. Koni De Winter, 18. Mandela Keita, 20. Loïs Openda, 7. Leandro Trossard, 22. Charles De Ketelaere, 19. Malick Fofana, 23. Mika Godts.
Starting XI - Belgium
This was the starting lineup selected by Mark van Bommel:
1. Maarten Vandevoordt (🧤); 21. Timothy Castagne, 15. Nathan Ngoy, 4. Brandon Mechele, 18. Joaquin Seys; 23. Nicolas Raskin, 6. Roméo Lavia, 20. Hans Vanaken; 14. Dodi Lukébakio, 9. Romelu Lukaku, 19. Diego Moreira.
History
The teams had faced each other 77 times throughout their history; notably, France held the upper hand in these encounters, having secured 33 victories, while Belgium had recorded 30 wins. There had also been 14 matches that ended in a draw.
It was all over! What a match the French squad delivered—a truly memorable and emotional clash orchestrated by both teams. However, it was the home side that secured the emphatic victory after managing to level the score. It was a truly action-packed game.