Zidane era begins with a win as France beats Turkiye 1-0
Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal in Zinedine Zidane's first match as France head coach, but was later substituted after appearing to suffer an injury. Turkiye finished the match with ten men after a late red card.
A winning start for Zidane
France's national football team, now led by Zinedine Zidane, won its first match under the new coach, beating Turkiye 1-0 away in a UEFA Nations League fixture. The game was played on Friday, September 25, at Kocaeli Stadium in İzmit, Türkiye.
The only goal came in the 54th minute of the second half, when captain Kylian Mbappé, set up by Michael Olise, fired the ball into the near post for his 67th international goal. However, while celebrating, Mbappé appeared to suffer an injury and was substituted shortly after, replaced by Désiré Doué.
The first half was tightly contested. Turkiye threatened early on, with a Baris Yilmaz effort ruled out for offside, and later had penalty appeals waved away following a collision in France's box. France dominated possession for large stretches but could not find the breakthrough until the second-half goal.
Late in the match, Turkiye were reduced to ten men after goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir was sent off for a handball outside his area; substitute goalkeeper Altay Bayindir came on for the remaining minutes.
A new chapter for France
This was Zidane's first match in charge of France, following the departure of Didier Deschamps, who had led the team for 14 years and won the 2018 World Cup. Zidane himself was a star player for France, scoring twice in the 1998 World Cup final and later winning Euro 2000 with the team. As a coach, he previously led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles.
According to Al Jazeera, Zidane said before the match that he felt "immense emotion" taking charge of the national team. His squad for this international window included several uncapped players, though it was largely experienced regulars who started against Turkiye.
Both teams face a demanding schedule ahead in League A, Group 1, which also includes Italy and Belgium. France will next face Belgium and Italy, while Turkiye will host Italy and also play Belgium in the coming weeks.
