France began their UEFA Nations League campaign with a narrow 1-0 hard-fought victory over Türkiye at the Kocaeli Stadyumu.
Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the match as Zinedine Zidane celebrated a winning start to his first game as the French national team head coach.
The game was part of UEFA Nations League League A, Group 1, with France taking all three points after a close contest between both teams in 90 minutes.
Turkiye created problems for the visitors, especially after the break, but the visitor’s defence held firm to secure the clean sheet at the end of the match.
The first half ended without a goal, with both teams struggling to find the final pass in a tight opening period of 45 minutes of play.
France had more control of the ball, but Turkiye remained dangerous and worked hard to stop the visitors from creating clear chances.
The Blues started to increase the pressure towards the end of the first half. However, several promising attacks failed to produce a goal, and the two sides went into the break level at 0-0.
Arda Guler was one of Turkish main attacking threats. The young midfielder was involved in several of the home side’s best moments and continued to cause problems for the French defence.
France finally broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. Jules Kounde helped move the ball forward before Michael Olise supplied the important assist for Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe took advantage of the opening and finished with a low right-footed shot into the left side of the goal. The Real Madrid forward’s finish gave France a 1-0 lead and proved to be the decisive moment of the match.
The goal also continued Olise’s strong record of creating chances for France. His pass gave the opportunity he needed, while the captain showed his quality by finishing the move.
After falling behind, the Turkish national team became more aggressive and pushed forward in search of an equaliser. The hosts had some good attacking moments after the hour mark and put the away side under pressure.
Arda Guler remained heavily involved and was rated as the top performer by in the game. Despite the home side’s pressure, the French stayed organised and protected their advantage.
The host missed opportunities to make their pressure count, while the blues also failed to add a second goal that could have settled the match earlier. The visitors had chances to extend their lead but could not find another finish.
Around the 87th minute, things got worst as the home side saw Çakır being sent off after VAR checked for a foul he committed, leaving his side to finish with 10 players.
The visitors eventually relied on their defensive organisation during the closing stages. With eight minutes of added time, Turkiye had one final opportunity to find a late equaliser, but France held on.
The encounter came to a conclusion with Zinedane Zidane’s side claiming a narrow 1-0 with and three points against the home team who gave all their best all through.
The victory means Zidane’s first competitive match as head coach ended with three points. Mbappe provided the decisive finish, while Olise supplied the assist.
The host showed plenty of fight and created pressure in the second half, but their opponent defence survived the late challenge that they threw on them.
The result also sets up an interesting Nations League campaign for both teams. France will take confidence from the clean sheet and three points, while Turkiye will look to respond in their next Group 1 fixture.
