Europa League
Zidane's exuberant celebration after Olise's late goal shocks Belgium
National team coach Zinédine Zidane let himself go completely off the rails after the 88th minute of the match against the Red Devils, when Michael Olise scored the winning goal; he sprinted across the King Baudouin Stadium, shot a spare ball through the net and shouted with joy, a moment that was quickly picked up worldwide.
After the goal, Zidane said laughing: “I just had to kick that ball”. He described the situation as a mix of football, tennis and even a Formula‑1 race, and noted that the whole programme of the evening now received an extra article. Even Mister Cool lost his composure, because the atmosphere was simply too cool to ignore.
Wearing a blue tailored suit he walked stylishly across the pitch, after which an unexpected burst of energy followed. He shot a spare ball through the net, an action that later in the Jupiler Pro League coverage was labelled a “Challenger‑moment”.
Zidane's exuberant celebration
Despite nine substitutions he remained undaunted; “But even with all those substitutions I wasn’t afraid of what would happen,” he later declared. He emphasized that he was fully confident in his squad, a team that he now also sees shining in the Champions, Europa and Conference competitions.
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Rotation plan and confidence
The French coach had already planned to rotate on Monday evening. “We had 23 players at our disposal and we want to use them all,” he said. He praised the clean sheet, despite little training, and looked forward to the match against Italy on Friday.
The spontaneous outburst was quickly picked up on social media, where fans shared the clip and saw the term “Meer” appear as trending. The world watched, and even the most critical analysts could not deny that Zidane’s enthusiasm heralds a new chapter in Belgian football.
With the upcoming clash against Italy on the horizon, the question remains how this energy will translate onto the pitch. For now Zidane has shown that passion and humour can go hand in hand, even at the highest level.