France's national team has bounced back after two defeats in a row. Three days after losing 3-1 to Italy, the 2018 world champions beat Belgium 2-0 in the Nations League.
Before Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé, spurned by the French for making ill-advised statements about his move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, came off the bench in Lyon in the closing stages, Paris strikers Randal Kolo Muani (29th minute) and Ousmane Dembélé (57th) scored for the team of criticized coach Didier Deschamps.
France's first victory since their penalty shoot-out semi-final win over Portugal at the European Championships in Germany was not up for discussion. The French side scored 24 times over the course of the 90 minutes, with only Domenico Tedesco's largely pale Belgians having the edge in terms of possession.
France's conquerors Italy also won their second match after the disappointing European Championship, which ended in a knockout against Switzerland in the round of 16. Luciano Spalletti's team beat Israel 2:1 in Budapest thanks to goals from Davide Frattesi and Moise Kean.
In League B, Austria are still without a win three days after their 1-1 draw in Slovenia. Ralf Rangnick's team lost 2-1 to Norway in Oslo. After Marcel Sabitzer equalized in the second half, Erling Haaland secured victory for the hosts with a 2-1 goal in the 80th minute.
SDA
