Do You Know? France secured a 1-0 Nations League victory over Belgium on Monday, 28 September 2026, after Michael Olise scored a spectacular solo goal in the 88th minute.
The late strike settled a closely contested match in Brussels and was the decisive moment of an evening that also saw Italy beat Turkey 4-1, Sweden defeat Poland 3-1, Bosnia and Herzegovina overcome Romania 4-2, and Northern Ireland draw 0-0 with Hungary.
Olise decides Belgium contest
France and Belgium remained level until the closing stages. Olise received the ball just before halfway, accelerated past Belgian defenders and carried the attack into the penalty area before cutting inside and finishing into the far corner.
The goal, recorded in the 88th minute, gave France the win. The source report also noted a late Belgian penalty appeal after Newcastle’s Fernandez-Pardo struck the ball off France’s Koné in the area, but play continued.
Italy respond with emphatic win
Italy produced the night’s biggest victory among the featured matches, beating Turkey 4-1 in Bursa. Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the ninth minute, with Davide Frattesi adding a second in the 22nd minute.
Michael Kayode scored Italy’s third in the 27th minute, and Pio Esposito made it 4-1 in the 50th minute. Baris Yilmaz scored Turkey’s goal in the 47th minute. A later Turkey goal was disallowed, leaving the final score unchanged.
The report described Italy as particularly strong before half-time, while noting that Turkey created pressure after the interval without adding another goal.
Other Nations League results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Belgium vs France | Belgium 0-1 France |
| Turkey vs Italy | Turkey 1-4 Italy |
| Sweden vs Poland | Sweden 3-1 Poland |
| Northern Ireland vs Hungary | Northern Ireland 0-0 Hungary |
| Romania vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | Romania 2-4 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Sweden’s goals came from Benjamin Nygren, Ayari and Viktor Gyökeres, while Poland’s goal was scored by Szymanski. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s final goal was credited to Mahmic.
Why it matters
France’s result was decided by a late individual moment from Olise, while Italy’s four-goal victory represented a strong response after the side’s earlier defeat to Belgium, according to the live report. Northern Ireland remained unbeaten in the Nations League after following a win on Friday with a draw against Hungary.
The source report said the next day’s Nations League fixtures included Spain against Croatia, Scotland against Switzerland and Czechia against England.
Bottom Line
Olise’s late solo effort gave France a narrow win in Brussels, while Italy’s 4-1 victory over Turkey provided the most emphatic result of the night.
Source
This report is based on information published by The Guardian Sport.
