Zinedine Zidane Prepares for France Home Debut as Roberto Mancini Seeks Italian Revival

The mixture of delight and relief for Zinedine Zidane was clear for all to see as the new France manager charged away from the dugout before blasting a ball down the touchline in celebration, following Michael Olise's superb late winner against Belgium.

It looked like Zidane's second match in charge of Les Blues was going to end in a goalless, if entertaining, draw in Brussels when Olise picked up a pass from fellow substitute Rayan Cherki just inside the Belgium half with two minutes left. The Bayern Munich winger then set off on a run that saw him brush off the challenge of Belgium's Maxim De Cuyper, cut inside from the right before placing an inch-perfect low shot into the bottom corner, despite the desperate attempted sliding blocks from two home defenders.

It was a glorious way to seal a second consecutive 1-0 Nations League victory, after beating Turkey by the same scoreline on Friday night, moving them to the top of Group A1. “I said to myself: 'He's going to score',” said Zidane of his match-winner after the game at Stade ROI Baudouin. “He is an extraordinary talent. I love this type of player.”

France achieved their latest win without captain Kylian Mbappe, who saw his international window ended abruptly when he injured his knee scoring the winner in Turkey. It was not until the arrival from the bench of second-half substitutes Ousmane Dembele, Cherki and Olise that France found their way through a well-organised Belgium defence.

It is Zidane's first foray into international management with the 54-year-old returning to the dugout for the first time since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021. His predecessor, Didier Deschamps, had been in the national team hot seat for 14 years that saw France win the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League.

On Friday, Zidane will oversee his first home game when France host Italy in Paris at the Stade de France. Italy are attempting to restore national pride under returning Euro 2020-winning coach Roberto Mancini for his second spell in charge of the Azzurri.

Mancini's side recently bounced back from a defeat against Belgium by powering into a lead away to Turkey thanks to goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, and Michael Kayode, alongside Pio Esposito, securing a vital win as they embark on a long journey.