France and Italy claimed two crucial victories in their final fixtures of the current international break, as “Les Bleus” overturned a deficit against Belgium to record a thrilling 4-1 win, while the “Azzurri” overcame Turkey 3-1 in Round 4 of the UEFA Nations League.
It was not a smooth night for either giant. The French side remained behind until the 77th minute, while Italy allowed Turkey to draw level in the second half before quickly restoring their lead to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
Belgium took the lead at the Stade de France through Dodi Lukebakio in the 35th minute, but attacking substitutions made by Zinedine Zidane completely turned the match on its head. Désiré Doué equalized in the 77th minute, followed four minutes later by Rayan Cherki to give the hosts the lead. Michael Olise added a third in the 88th minute, before France capped off their dramatic comeback with a fourth goal in stoppage time.
The late comeback carried added significance for the French squad, who played without their injured captain Kylian Mbappé. The result elevated France to 10 points at the top of Group 1—3 points clear of second-placed Italy and 4 ahead of Belgium in third, while Turkey remain bottom with zero points.
Italy started their match against Turkey in ideal fashion when Gianluca Scamacca opened the scoring in the 26th minute, but Aral Şimşir brought the visitors level in the 61st minute. The deadlock lasted just three minutes before Riccardo Calafiori scored his first international goal with a header from a Nicolò Barella set-piece, before the “Azzurri” added a third goal in the closing minutes.
Roberto Mancini’s side ended the current break with a record of two wins, one draw, and one loss; they originally fell 2-0 to Belgium, then swept Turkey 4-1 away, drew 1-1 with France in Paris, and repeated their victory over Turkey in Bologna. Meanwhile, France collected 10 points out of a possible 12, having beaten Turkey 1-0, defeated Belgium by the same scoreline, drawn with Italy, and capped it with their latest four-goal display.
The French national team are now extremely close to joining Portugal in the quarter-finals, with the reigning champions having mathematically secured their spot after taking maximum points from their opening four rounds. “Les Bleus” need a victory against Italy in Round 5 to officially lock down qualification without relying on other results, though they could qualify even before kickoff if Belgium drop points against Turkey.
The battle will resume in November when Italy host France on the 12th of the month alongside Turkey vs. Belgium, before the group concludes on November 15 with France vs. Turkey and Belgium vs. Italy. The “Azzurri” hold their fate in their own hands: a victory over Belgium in the final round will guarantee qualification, though that match could turn into a direct knockout tie for the second qualifying spot if matters remain unsettled in Round 5.
