Zidane wins on Nations League debut as France coach; Latvia's group sees Armenia claim victory
Zinedine Zidane secured his first win as France's head coach in the UEFA Nations League, while in Latvia's qualifying group Montenegro beat Cyprus and Armenia defeated Latvia.
Zidane's first win
In UEFA Nations League matches played on Friday, 25 September, Zinedine Zidane picked up his first victory as France's head coach. Playing away against Turkey, France won 1:0. Both sides created danger in the first half, but neither found the net before the break. In the second half, Kylian Mbappé capitalised on a Turkish defensive error and a resulting numerical advantage to score the only goal, though he was forced off with a knee injury shortly after his strike. Late in the match, following a VAR review, Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was sent off for handling the ball outside his penalty area. The substitute goalkeeper who replaced him managed to save a direct free kick from Ousmane Dembélé, but Turkey, reduced to ten men, could not find an equaliser.
Mixed results in Latvia's group
For Latvian fans, the key clash was in Group C2. In Podgorica, Montenegro beat Cyprus 2:1, despite the visitors taking the lead early in the second half. The hosts responded with two goals — first converting a penalty, then scoring a late winner near the end of the match. In the same group, Armenia defeated the Latvian national team 2:0 on home soil.
Other results
Elsewhere on the night, Sweden beat Romania 2:1 at home, while Ukraine won away against Hungary 1:0, though a player was sent off in stoppage time. In Italy, Roberto Mancini made his return to the national team bench but suffered a 0:2 home defeat to Belgium in front of his own supporters.
