'I believe in my players' - Zidane hails Olise after stunning late France Nations League winner

With Kylian Mbappe sidelined by a knee injury, Zidane made nine changes to his starting XI and handed opportunities to several players. France controlled much of the match but struggled to find a way past Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 88th minute.

Olise collected the ball inside his own half before driving forward down the right. He cut inside and unleashed a fierce low shot into the bottom-left corner to settle the match.

Zidane immediately raced down the touchline in celebration before kicking a loose ball away.

"I went along with the play and I wanted to be part of it," Zidane said with a smile.

"I sensed he was off on a dribble and he made an exceptional play, so I wanted to follow him. And then I saw the ball there, and I told myself I had to shoot it. It might be a little bit ridiculous, but it doesn't matter."

France had created several chances before Olise's late winner. Desire Doue struck the crossbar in the 12th minute, while Lucas Da Cunha hit the post with a powerful effort from around 25 yards.

Lammens also made several important saves to keep Belgium in the game until the final stages.

Zidane was forced to reshape his attack after Mbappe returned to Real Madrid following the knee injury he suffered during Friday's 1-0 win over Turkiye.

Olise, Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembele all started on the bench, while Jeremy Jacquet, Andy Diouf and Lucas Da Cunha made their France debuts. Maghnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul were also handed starting roles.

Despite the changes, Zidane backed his squad to deliver.

"I believe in my players. I believe that I have a group, a team, that gets along well and works well together. I have high-quality players," he said.

"I wasn't afraid at all of what might happen. And that's how it was planned from the start anyway. I told myself that I have 23 players at my disposal and I am going to use them all eventually."

France will now turn their attention to Italy, with the two sides meeting at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday.