France secured a narrow 1-0 win and three points over Belgium thanks to Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise who scored a stunning late goal.
The result gave Zinedine Zidane a second straight victory as coach and kept Les Bleus perfect after two UEFA Nations League Group A1 matches.
France started the game with plenty of energy and created the first clear chances. Esteban Lepaul was involved early, but his first effort went wide after a pass from Desire Doue.
Doue then produced one of the visitor’s best moments of the first half when he moved through the Belgian defence and hit the crossbar with a powerful effort.
Lepaul had another big chance soon after but could not beat Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The away side continued to control much of the ball, while the host struggled to create clear openings.
Kevin De Bruyne tried to set up Charles De Ketelaere, but Lucas Da Cunha read the danger and cut out the cross before it could have caused any problems.
France came close again from a free kick when Maghnes Akliouche forced Lammens into a save. Lepaul also saw another effort stopped from a tight angle.
The biggest defensive moment came when Lammens spilled the ball into a dangerous area and Pierre Kalulu looked ready to score, but Romeo Lavia made an important clearance off the line.
Belgium improved as the first half went on. Mika Godts tested Mike Maignan with an effort that went wide, while De Bruyne also fired off target from around 20 yards.
France still looked the more dangerous side, but the missed chances kept the score level. The second half followed a similar pattern between both teams.
Doue fired just wide after finding space near the edge of the box, while Da Cunha struck the post with a long-range effort as the encounter carried on.
Doue then had another attempt saved by Lammens, with the rebound falling to Lepaul, who again failed to find the target despite how close it was for him to get the goal.
Belgium also had chances to take the lead, but it wasn’t also easy for them. Diego Moreira went close after a strong run but his shot missed the target.
Dodi Lukebakio later broke into a dangerous position, but Maignan produced a good save. Godts also found the side netting from a tight angle as the host grew stronger during the final stages.
The breakthrough finally came in the 88th minute. Olise controlled the ball with his shoulder inside his own half before carrying it forward for a long run into the the host penalty area.
He beat the defenders with his movement and calmly placed his finish into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 with little time left in the encounter.
It was a brilliant play from Olise who created the chance himself but last pass was from Cherki. It was a remarkable individual effort and capped a strong performance from the France attacker.
The visitors rounded off the match claiming the victory from a 1-0 result against Belgium after 90 minutes of action that was played.
Lammens made several important saves to keep the host in the game, while Maignan also played his part when the hosts threatened.
France finished with the win despite missing several chances, including efforts that hit the crossbar and post. The match also produced several yellow cards.
The devils received five yellow cards, while the blues picked up three. Nicolas Raskin was among the Belgian players booked, while France defender Dayot Upamecano was also shown a yellow card.
No red card was issued during the match. The 1-0 victory means France now have six points from their opening two Nations League games, while Belgium remain on three points after their earlier win over Italy.
Zidane’s team will now look ahead to the next stage of the Nations League campaign with another clean sheet and another hard-fought victory against a formidable side away from home.
