Olise turns the tide with a brace and assist as France demolish Belgium

Coming on as a substitute, Michael Olise transformed a dull evening into a masterclass: the attacking midfielder scored twice and provided an assist to help France overturn Belgium 4-1 on Monday night at the Stade de France, in the fourth matchday of the Nations League.

For an hour, Zidane’s France side had struggled to create genuine chances. Ousmane Dembélé, the most active player, lacked success with his long-range attempts. Estéban Lepaul failed to convert on several crosses (9th, 23rd, 33rd), and Bradley Barcola wasted a good opportunity on the left wing (16th). It was ultimately a pass from Roméo Lavia to Dodi Lukébakio that caught the French defence off guard: Guillaume Restes, on his first cap, was beaten in the 35th minute.

Dembélé sparked the comeback early in the second half (53rd), before being substituted. Three replacements then turned the match around. Lucas Da Cunha set up Désiré Doué, who equalized with a pivot shot in the 77th minute.

Olise then took control. In the 81st minute, he found Rayan Cherki for 2-1. Seven minutes later, he scored the third goal with a neat right-footed finish that got past Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt (88th), before sealing it with a cross-shot between the same goalkeeper’s legs in added time (91st). The Stade de France crowd then sang the praises of the Bayern Munich winger, whose talent continues to impress.