Three days after their draw against Italy (1-1), the Blues came close to being punished on Monday on the pitch at the Stade de France. Zinedine Zidane’s men may have dominated the proceedings for most of the match, but poor defensive alignment shortly after the half-hour mark allowed Belgium to open the scoring thanks to Dodi Lukebakio.
And the Blues were trailing until the start of the last quarter of an hour and a low shot from Désiré Doué which deceived Marteen Vandevoordt. The hardest part was done for the French team who then saw Rayan Cherki double the lead four minutes later and Michael Olise complete the French victory with a double scored in a few minutes.
But as soon as Désiré Doué equalized, the victory of the Blues was no longer in doubt. Because since his arrival at PSG in the summer of 2024, the observation is clear: when the French international finds the net, his team never loses. Worse for her opponents, she does not even concede the slightest draw. The record is almost a statistical anomaly at this level of competition: 29 matches played in all competitions during which he scored at least one goal, for an impeccable total of 29 victories. No hiccups, no exceptions.
Désiré Doué preferred to retain the contribution of the bench
Whether it’s breaking the barrier of a Ligue 1 defense under the Parisian tunic, driving the point home on the European scene or initiating the revolt with the tricolor jersey on his shoulders (4 goals in 19 selections), the impact of his achievements is immediate. Against the Belgians, his equalizer instantly put the Blues back in the direction of the game, perfectly illustrating this role of X factor that he shapes with ease.
“It’s a very good performance. We were all involved during this match, those who started, those who returned, so it’s great, he confided after the meeting. It’s never easy to score, especially against this kind of team that defends well. They leave few spaces, but we found the flaw and then we unrolled. We have some very talented players on the team, so it’s wonderful. »
