Belgium-France: a football match, no electoral data to decipher.

29 septembre 2026 3 Min Read

France beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels on Monday, September 28, 2026, despite making nine changes to their starting eleven. The result and the extent of the changes were confirmed by the French Football Federation. However, the match report also corrects two details in the JDD’s account: the reported attendance and a chance attributed to a Belgian player who did not actually play.

One victory, nine changes, and three first-team appearances

Three days after a 1-0 victory in Turkey, Zinedine Zidane retained only Mike Maignan and Maxence Lacroix in the French starting lineup. Jérémy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, and Lucas Da Cunha made their debuts for Les Bleus. Michael Olise, who came on in the 77th minute, scored the only goal in the 88th minute, at the end of a counter-attack launched by Rayan Cherki. This is France’s second win in two matches in this 2026-2027 Nations League campaign.

The reshuffle was therefore not merely a curiosity of composition: France won without their goalscorer from the previous match, Kylian Mbappé, who had returned to Madrid after his injury in Turkey. According to statistics published by the FFF, they had 62% possession and attempted 18 shots, six of which were on target, compared to 12 shots for Belgium, two of which were on target. Désiré Doué hit the crossbar in the first half and Da Cunha the post after the break. These factors support the idea of French dominance; they do not, however, negate the chances conceded, nor the fact that the match was decided in the 88th minute.

What the match sheet corrects

Attendance. The JDD reports 41,500 spectators at the King Baudouin Stadium. The FFF match report lists 40,857 . The difference is 643 people. This doesn’t change the course of a match, but a precise figure deserves better than a district presented as a mere count.

The player facing Maignan. In its match report, the JDD describes the French goalkeeper as decisive « against Openda » in the 73rd minute. However, the FFF’s match report lists Loïs Openda among the unused Belgian substitutes. The Federation confirms that Maignan preserved the score in the 73rd minute, without attributing this action to Openda in its report. Therefore, we can consider the goalkeeper’s intervention, not the identity of the opponent given by the JDD.

The three debutants. The JDD presents their simultaneous first caps as a statistic « undoubtedly unprecedented. » The FFF finds a precedent: on August 11, 2010, against Norway, five French players made their debuts together. The event in Brussels is noteworthy; it is not without precedent.

A successful evening, but not yet a definitive formula.

The JDD reports 68% French possession « in the first hour »; the FFF indicates 62% for the entire match. These two figures do not describe the same period and therefore do not necessarily contradict each other. The federation’s figure, however, gives a comparable figure for the complete match. Similarly, the ratings given to Jacquet, Da Cunha, or Zidane are based on journalistic assessment, not an official result.

After two matchdays, France has six points and sits atop Group A1 according to the FFF. It’s a good start for Zidane, whose nine substitutions have given him more presence: several players with little or no experience playing together have stepped up. However, to conclude that a starting eleven has been found would be jumping the gun. The next scheduled match is France vs. Italy, on Friday, October 2nd at the Stade de France; it will provide another test, not an answer that the Brussels match would have already provided.

Key points: the 1-0 scoreline, Olise’s goal, and the nine substitutions are confirmed. French dominance is supported by FFF statistics. However, the attendance figures, the supposedly unprecedented nature of the three debuts, and Openda’s mention in the JDD’s player ratings required verification: on these points, the match sheet tells a more accurate story.

Main source: All the news from the Journal du dimanche (www.lejdd.fr)

Original article: See the original source

Author: Jean-François Pérès, according to the signature displayed on the original article. ()