France Edge Belgium 1-0 as Michael Olise Scores Late and Italy Crush Turkey 4-1 in Nations League

France Edge Belgium 1-0 as Michael Olise Scores Late and Italy Crush Turkey 4-1 in Nations League

France substitute Michael Olise scored a dramatic brace just two minutes from the final whistle was blown as the visitors snatched a win against Belgium in the National League. Meanwhile, Italy returned to their winning ways after they thumped 4-1 Turkey in their away match.

Fortunes kept swinging from team to another in Brussels but Olise kept the French Coach Zinedine Zidane’s winning start as the team’s new boss with a surging run from midway inside the Belgium half before completing a spectacular finish to seal the win in their Group A1 fixture.

France were playing without their captain Kylian Mbappe and Zidane made nine changes to the team that beat Turkey 1-0 last week. But it was after bringing on the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Ryan Cherki and Olise that the team turned the game in their favour.

Desire Doue was a persistent danger as he took on the defense of the home side twice and ended up hitting the woodwork on both occasions. On the other hand, Italy had lost their opening fixture of the Nations League campaign 2-0 to Belgium at home last Friday, turning Mancini's return to being the team's boss into a false start. But coming to Bursa under the rainy conditions, Italy looked a completely different side.

Alessandro Bastoni gave the visitors a ninth-minute lead from a corner and just 13 minutes later Davide Frattesi was quick to pounce on a rebound after the debutant Michael Kayode’s shot was fended off by Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

Italy went 3-0 up in the 27th minute and Brentford star Kayode netted home a low effort and the visitors went into the break with 10 attempts at the goal; asserting their dominance in the game from the very start. The frenetic nature of the game continued in the second half as well as Baris Alper Yilmaz pulled one back for the home side, who made three substitutions at half-time, but Italy’s three goal advantage was once again restored by Pio Esposito who headed home a fourth goal in the 50th minute.

Bosnia registered an emphatic 4-2 win over Romania in Bucharest in their Group B4 match as former great Gheorghe Hagi suffered another setback on his return to the manager’s position. But Sweden lead the group with two points above Bosnia after they complete a second home game win, this time 3-1 over Poland in Stockholm.