France 1-0 Belgium: A victory of depth and Olise's moment

Brussels night, minute 62. Michael Olise receives the ball on the right flank, two Belgian defenders backing off. He doesn't pass, only drops his shoulder and accelerates like a knife. A low shot with his left foot curls into the far corner, making it 1-0. As the ball hits the net, I remember a phrase from an old coach in Moscow: "Young players need a moment to break through." That night, Belgium collapsed because of a moment from a 24-year-old who had come off the bench just 12 minutes earlier. This is France's second match in UEFA Nations League, Group A1. Three days earlier, they beat Turkey but were criticized for an unconvincing display. Coach Zinedine Zidane, 54, surprisingly made 9 changes. Four debutants started: Da Cunha, Jacquet, Diouf, Lepaul. Zidane said: "I am the one who makes choices, everyone has a role." He wants to build a squad with depth, no fixed line-up. France started with a high press, pushing Belgium back. Belgium are not a weak opponent – they have Kevin De Bruyne, a midfielder now at Napoli after years of peak at Manchester City, and a generation that reached the World Cup semi-finals. But they are in transition, lacking cohesion, struggling against the pressing game. The first half was one-sided, yet the score stayed 0-0 because France lacked sharpness in the final moments. Elsewhere in the group, Italy beat Turkey 4-1 away, showing France's lead is not safe. In the second half, France's energy dropped. Rotating 9 positions meant players were unfamiliar with each other, passes went astray. Belgium began to threaten. Zidane brought on Olise – a decision that changed the game. Olise, the Bayern Munich winger, needed no time to warm up. On 62 minutes, receiving the ball in midfield, he dribbled past two Belgian defenders and finished low into the corner. It was a moment of individual genius, but also the result of a tactical idea: when the system is stuck, an individual difference can create a spark. Zidane said afterwards: "We played very well in every aspect, from pressing to controlling the match. Maybe we dropped a little in the second half, but the win was deserved." Preliminary analysis shows France pressed intensely in the first half, winning the ball in the opponent's half far more than against Turkey. But the win depended too much on one individual moment. If Olise hadn't come on, would France have had enough ideas to break down Belgium's defence? No answer. On the other side, Belgium were disappointing. De Bruyne was marked out of the game, creating nothing decisive. The most memorable moment was his reaction to the referee: after being penalized under the new rule – a player leaving the pitch for treatment must wait one minute before returning – De Bruyne glared, said ugly words, and pushed the official. He received a yellow card and was soon substituted. His frustration reflects reality: Belgium's golden generation is past its peak, lacking both strength and composure. France's victory has been hailed as a new era under Zidane. But look closely – this is a win built on a substitute's difference, not a superior playing model. Zidane may claim no fixed line-up, but rotating 9 positions also means losing the stability needed in major tournaments. Against a better defence than Belgium's, France may not get a second Olise moment. Da Cunha, Jacquet, Diouf and Lepaul showed positive signs, but they still need time to prove themselves. For Belgium, this defeat is not the end, but it shows the decline within the team. A captain reacting coarsely to a referee is a sign of helplessness – in a single match and in the broader identity of a squad losing itself. Without changes in personnel and mindset, Belgium will sink further. The story of this match is not the scoreline. It is about a young generation being given a chance, a coach daring to break the mold, and an aging generation struggling with the fear of being replaced. France is searching for a team without fixed stars, but elite football doesn't forgive experiments. When Olise goes silent, who will lift the team? The empty-stadium summer, when stands were hollow yet desire remained full, proves that fans don't need us to show them the way to the stadium. They need a map to dig through memories, to understand why they still stand there after all the ups and downs. When I stand in an empty stadium, I hear the echoes of matches that never took place. Last night's game may be one of them.