Belgium's victory in Turkey delays France's Nations League qualification

France will have to wait before securing their ticket to the Nations League quarter-finals. Belgium beat Turkey 2-1 in Izmir on Thursday, erasing the scenario that would have allowed the Blues to qualify mathematically before even stepping on the pitch at San Siro against Italy.

The Turks had made a strong start to the match: Arda Güler opened the scoring with a stunning free kick in the 22nd minute. But the Red Devils turned the tide in the space of three minutes, with an equalizer from Kevin De Bruyne (27th) followed by the decisive goal from Charles De Ketelaere (30th). Turkey remains stuck on zero points in the group.

In the standings, France maintains top spot with 10 points, ahead of Belgium (9 points, one game in hand) and Italy (7 points). The Blues’ situation remains comfortable: just one point from their final two matches guarantees them a place in the top two of the group and therefore qualification for the quarter-finals.

The objective for Zinédine Zidane and his players will nevertheless be to secure first place, which generally offers a more manageable opponent in the next round. The remaining fixtures, notably an upcoming Belgium-Italy match, could still reshuffle the cards at the top of the standings.