Zidane Starts France Reign with Twin Nations League Wins as Mbappé Limps Off
Zinédine Zidane began his tenure as France manager with consecutive UEFA Nations League victories over Turkey and Belgium, even as captain Kylian Mbappé suffered a knee injury.
Zinédine Zidane has opened his managerial tenure with the French national football team with back-to-back victories in the UEFA Nations League, despite losing captain Kylian Mbappé to an early knee injury, according to reporting by Nagarik News.
Zidane, who took over from long-serving manager Didier Deschamps after winning three UEFA Champions League and two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, guided France to a 1–0 home victory over Turkey before edging Belgium 1–0 away in the opening phase of European football's biennial tournament.
In the opener against Turkey, Mbappé broke a scoreless deadlock early in the second half by finishing a pass from winger Michael Olise to claim his 67th international goal, Nagarik News reported. However, the French forward experienced pain in his left knee immediately following the strike. Though he briefly attempted to play through the discomfort, he was forced off in the 59th minute and replaced by Désiré Doué. Zidane later told reporters that Mbappé's knee had swollen and that the prognosis was concerning, prompting the forward to travel back to Madrid for medical evaluation.
France held on to secure the points against Turkey, aided late in the contest when opposing goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır received a red card for handling the ball outside his penalty area. Jules Koundé also struck the woodwork for the French side.
France then followed up with a second straight 1–0 triumph on Belgian soil, Nagarik News reported. Olise, who set up the winner in the first match, delivered the decisive breakthrough himself two minutes before the final whistle to preserve Zidane’s winning start.
Elsewhere in the top tier of the tournament, Italy rebounded from an opening 2–0 loss against Belgium by defeating Turkey 4–1, according to Nagarik News. Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, Michael Kayode, and Pio Esposito scored for the Italians, while Barış Alper Yılmaz pulled back a solitary goal for Turkey.
The early rounds also delivered notable results across other groups. Spain earned an edge in League A with a 3–2 away victory over England, while Croatia earned a 2–1 win against Czechia. In subsequent fixtures, Greece stunned Germany with a 1–0 victory, Portugal edged Norway 2–1, and the Netherlands defeated Serbia 2–1.
European teams are currently contesting the group phase of the Nations League, which governs seeding and qualification routes for major international tournaments across the continent.