Zidane starts as France's national team coach with a shaky win

In the shadowy stadium of Izmit, where a photo of President Erdogan dominated the background, Zinedine Zidane stepped onto the pitch for the first time as France's head coach. The French squad, known as Les Bleus, secured a 0‑1 victory over Turkey in the Nations League, but the atmosphere was far from festive.

Result and first impression

The match ended with a 1‑0 win for France, a fact that Le Figaro labelled as a historic moment: Zidane is the first head coach since Aimé Jacquet in 1994 to debut with a victory. Despite the win, French media described the game as “far too thin, sluggish and laborious”.

The sports newspaper L’Équipe felt that there was “no good football” to be seen and that “nothing went automatically on the bumpy pitch”. The first half was characterised by sloppy errors, a lack of teamwork and a rigid, predictable style of play, according to the same source.

Individual performances and tactical choices

Kylian Mbappé, who started on the left flank, opened the scoring with a right‑foot strike, perfectly set up by Michael Olise. After his goal, Mbappé suffered a knee injury and subsequently returned to Real Madrid. Le Figaro noted that Mbappé’s contribution was crucial, despite the limited chances in the first half.

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The tactical shift of Mbappé to the left flank was described by Le Figaro as a “bold move” to let Ousmane Dembélé resume his old role. The newspaper argued that the “revolution” lay mainly in this positional change, not in a radical overhaul of the playing staff.

Mike Maignan was named Man of the Match by RMC Sport with a rating of 8. Michael Olise received a 7, while Mbappé and Dembélé each received a 5, underscoring the varying individual performances.

Le Figaro concluded that, although the play was not brilliant, Les Bleus displayed professionalism and a positive attitude during the debut. Didier Deschamps’ legacy was cited as a solid foundation, but there is still “plenty of room for improvement”.

Mbappé is injured after scoring France's only lead in Turkey

The French press stressed that the victory, though modest, was “the most important thing”: a win on Turkish soil. The team, however, still needs to find a clear style of play so as not to undermine the 27th spot in the FIFA world ranking.