Zidane goes wild over Olise's wonder goal in France's late victory

When the 88th-minute goal transformed the atmosphere of a squad

That night at France's national stadium, when Michael Olise received the ball deep in his own half, nobody expected that a sprint down the right flank cutting inside would end with a strike into the far corner. In the 88th minute, the score was still 0-0 against a well-organised Belgian side. Then everything erupted. Zinedine Zidane, described by the press in this article as France's head coach — a claim that requires verification from official sources — sprinted down the touchline celebrating as if he had scored the goal himself.

Context: Nations League qualifying with a rotated squad

This was France's second match in the Nations League window. Just three days earlier, they had secured a 1-0 win against Türkiye. Coach Zidane — according to the original article — made nine changes to the starting XI compared to the previous match, handing debuts to Jacquet, Diouf, and Da Cunha. Rotating almost the entire team sent a clear message: he believes in the depth of his squad. Belgium, a team in a generational transition but still defensively solid, stood opposite. The match followed a one-sided script: France dominated possession, created several chances, but failed to convert.

Tactical analysis: The problem was not chance creation, but finishing

Looking at the flow of the game, it becomes clear that France's issue was not creating opportunities. They had the ball, they entered the box, but their finishing lacked sharpness. Doué hit the crossbar with a header in the 12th minute; Da Cunha struck the post from over 25 metres. This was not a team short of attacking ideas. It was an ensemble lacking chemistry in the final moments. When you change nine positions, when you hand opportunities to players making their senior international debut, a lack of cohesion at certain moments is explainable. But the win still came, thanks to an outstanding individual moment.

Olise did not score from a rehearsed team move. He received the ball in his own half as the team was building play. A sprint down the right flank, then cutting inside onto his left foot — despite being right-footed — and finishing into the far corner. This was a personal transition action, not a system-generated one. From a professional standpoint, the goal showed Olise's individual quality. But it also exposed a reality: without moments like that, France might not have broken down Belgium's low block.

Belgium's defence played deep, absorbed constant pressure, but broke only in the 88th minute. Goalkeeper Lammens had an outstanding match with several crucial saves. This is the typical match a superior side must face: opponents defending in numbers, willing to sit deep. In such situations, poor finishing becomes the biggest bottleneck.

The blind spot: Dependence on individual moments

What should worry France is not the result, but how they achieved it. An 88th-minute goal from a solo run is a difficult path to replicate. For a team with major ambitions, relying on a moment of individual genius to beat a mid-tier side like Belgium in transition is a signal to monitor. If France do not improve their conversion of chances, stronger opponents will know how to exploit this weakness. They will let France keep the ball, let them dominate territory, and wait for mistakes.

Another blind spot is verifying the identity of France's head coach. The original wire-service report (AP) states that Zinedine Zidane is the head coach. If accurate, this represents a major shift from France's recent coaching history. But if not verified by an official source, all analysis based on his rotation decisions should be treated with caution.

Message from the dressing room: Absolute belief

In the post-match press conference, Zidane — per the article — said: "I believe in my players... a group, a team, that gets along well and works well together." Asked about his wild celebration, he also admitted: "Ridiculous but it doesn't matter."

His confidence, wit, and honesty in those remarks indicate a coach in complete control of the dressing room. The decision to rotate nine players and hand debuts to three newcomers sends a strong signal about his squad-management philosophy: use the entire squad, no distinction between star and backup.

Lessons, risks, and opportunities

Overall, this match offers several key lessons. First, France's squad depth is a major asset. Rotating nearly the whole team and still beating Belgium is something few national teams can do. Second, finishing efficiency remains an issue. One crossbar, one post, and one 88th-minute goal — too fragile given their territorial dominance.

The biggest risk lies in Kylian Mbappé's injury. The forward limped off with a left knee injury and has already returned to Real Madrid. This is a bad sign for both France and his club. Losing an attacking talisman of Mbappé's calibre weakens the national team's attacking ceiling. The "FIFA virus" story — players returning to their clubs injured after international duty — is once again in focus.

But there are also opportunities. Olise, with this decisive goal, has shown he deserves a more prominent role. Debutants Jacquet, Diouf, and Da Cunha also had their first taste of international football, a stepping stone for their development. This is a rejuvenation process, an investment in the future.

Conclusion: Verify before praising

At age 59, I understand that winning matters less than explaining why we win. The win over Belgium is a positive result, but the manner of the victory leaves many questions. A tactical map, like a landslide map, tells you where not to stand. And this match shows France should not stand in a position of dependence on individual moments. They need to build a more sustainable attacking system where chances are created deliberately, not waited for as moments of genius.

The biggest question for Zidane now is: what happens when Mbappé returns and when the team faces stronger opponents? Can this team maintain the balance between squad depth and finishing ability? This match was a test, and they passed it narrowly. The next match will show what they have learned from the spaces on the pitch.

The empty-stadium summer taught me that applause is just a coat of paint. Olise's late goal, Zidane's wild celebration — all beautiful layers of paint. But beneath that paint lies a tactical entity that must be verified over more matches, against a wider variety of opponents. That is the only way to know whether this victory means anything, or was merely a relief on a magical night.