France national team: Zidane makes a successful debut

Zinedine Zidane made a winning debut as manager of the French national team. In his first match in charge of Les Bleus, the former world champion saw his men secure a 1-0 victory in Turkey on Friday in the Nations League.

In their first match under Zidane, the French dominated possession for much of the game but failed to truly unsettle a Turkish side camped in their own half. Despite clear dominance in possession, Les Bleus lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

Kylian Mbappé, positioned on the left wing, struggled to make an impact on the game. The French captain created the first chance of the match, but his shot, too wide, went past the post. Closely marked, Ousmane Dembélé also had difficulty making an impact, while Michael Olise was more lively but failed to quickly find a way through in the box.

Turkey could even have exploited the few gaps left by the French. In central defense, Maxence Lacroix was sometimes caught out of position, forcing Mike Maignan to remain alert. The French goalkeeper notably intervened on a header from Kadioglu, which was well set up by Arda Güler. Just before halftime, Olise almost opened the scoring, but his left-footed shot was tipped over the bar by Cakir.

Mbappé scores, then leaves the field injured

The deadlock was broken after the break. As Turkey began to look more threatening, Les Bleus won the ball back high up the pitch. Olise perfectly set up Mbappé, who beat Cakir with a right-footed shot to give France the lead (0-1, 54th minute).

The opening goal was immediately overshadowed by the departure of the French captain. Mbappé injured his left knee during the play and, after trying to stay on the pitch, ultimately had to leave the field.

Less dominant in the second half, France still had several chances to secure the win. Jules Koundé notably hit the far post with a left-footed shot. Turkey also continued to press forward, and Güler forced Maignan into a fine save with a deflected shot that was heading for the post.

The final minutes were particularly tense. Turkey finished the match with ten men after Cakir was sent off in the 87th minute. The Turkish goalkeeper was penalized for handling the ball outside his penalty area while making a save against Barcola.

Despite having a numerical advantage, Les Bleus were unable to completely control the end of the match and showed some signs of nervousness. But the main thing for Zidane was elsewhere: in his first match in charge of the French national team, the coach secured a valuable victory, thanks to a goal from Mbappé.