For this last meeting of the international break, Zinédine Zidane had once again decided to shake up his starting lineup. After having rotated widely since the start of this gathering, the Blues coach had again made several changes against Belgium, notably with Guillaume Restes in goal and the tenure of Leny Yoro in central defense. In front, Ousmane Dembélé wore the armband in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, while Maghnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul were also lined up. A revised composition which demonstrated the desire of the French technician to give playing time to his entire group before closing this first gathering at the head of the French team.
But for an hour, these numerous changes did not allow the Blues to really find their rhythm. Despite largely favorable possession and territorial domination, Zidane’s men have long come up against a well-organized Belgium and above all more effective in decisive areas. The French lacked accuracy in the last move and struggled to put enough players in the area, a problem already identified by their coach after previous meetings. Worse still, the Blues fell behind after Dodi Lukébakio’s opener in the 35th minute, leaving France facing a particularly uncomfortable situation for its last outing of the break.
Substitutes to energize the Blues
However, everything changed after the hour mark, when Zinédine Zidane decided to profoundly change his team. The coach made three simultaneous changes with the entries of Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Lucas Da Cunha, respectively in place of Ousmane Dembélé, Maghnes Akliouche and Manu Koné. Désiré Doué then replaced Bradley Barcola in the 72nd minute. These choices immediately brought more speed, percussion and creativity to the French game. The Blues then accelerated, multiplied the dangerous situations and above all found this efficiency which they had lacked since the kick-off. In a few minutes, the face of the team had completely changed, which delighted Zidane at the press conference: “their entrance was extraordinary, and it proves that everyone is concerned“.
And the entrants were directly involved in this spectacular rise. Désiré Doué first got France back on track in the 77th minute with a pass from Da Cunha, before Rayan Cherki gave the Blues the lead four minutes later. Michael Olise then took part in the party by scoring the third French goal in the 88th minute, before taking advantage of Doué’s new assist in added time (90th+1). Four goals scored in just fourteen minutes to turn around a match that seemed to be off to a bad start. “It’s true that the 2nd half changed, even if there wasn’t everything to throw away in the first half. We lacked percussion in the last 30 meters, something we lacked in our three matches. Our 2nd half when we equalized, it was a completely different game. That’s everyone’s reaction. We end on a very positive note after fifteen days spent together. It’s deserved», concluded Zizou. At the heart of this metamorphosis, Doué, Olise and Cherki thus embodied the immediate impact of Zidane’s choices and offered the Blues an end to the match that was as spectacular as it was unexpected. Moreover, the Parisian and the Bavarian are the first substitutes to be involved in three goals during a France match since Marvin Martin against Ukraine on June 6, 2011…
