Kolo Muani and Dembele inspire Les Bleus to take first points in Nations League this season
France rebounded from their weekend defeat to Italy with a 2-0 victory over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, thanks to goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembélé.
In a match held in Lyon, coach Didier Deschamps made eight changes to the French lineup, with captain Kylian Mbappé among those absent. The shift in tactics paid off as France secured a crucial win following a disappointing 3-1 loss to Italy on Friday, where they had initially taken the lead just 13 seconds into the game.
DEMBOUUUUUUUUZ! 😍
True to form, our winger enters the box, eliminates a defender with a feint, and fires home just under the crossbar💥
🇫🇷2-0🇧🇪 | #FRABEL | #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/PTj3f0Dbom
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) September 9, 2024
Belgium, fresh from a 3-1 win over Israel, struggled to find their rhythm against a rejuvenated French side, conceded the first goal just before the half-hour mark when Kolo Muani capitalized on a rebound from a mishit shot by Dembélé, which Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels had initially saved.
Dembélé doubled the advantage in the 57th minute with a superb solo effort, cutting inside from the right wing and firing a powerful shot into the net.
Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, and Michael Olise were among the French substitutes who contributed to seeing out the victory, offering a confidence boost after the defeat to Italy.
𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒛𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 🙌
1️⃣3️⃣7️⃣𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒔 and a place alongside Giroud among the most capped players in Les Bleus’ history 💙
Only 2 other legends, L. Thuram and Lloris, have worn the blue jersey more often 🌟#FRABEL | #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/Kcn9WPEjBk
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) September 9, 2024
Italy currently lead Group A2 with a perfect six points from two matches, following their 2-1 win over Israel on Monday. France and Belgium both have three points, while Israel sits at the bottom of the group with no points. The next round of matches in October will see Italy face Belgium in Rome and Israel meet France in Budapest.