Zidane finished his French coaching debut with a victory and was satisfied with the players' overall performance.

France, nicknamed the "Les Bleus," defeated Turkey 1-0 in their opening group stage match of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League Group A, thanks to a second-half goal from Kylian Mbappé. Zinedine Zidane, celebrating his triumphant debut as manager of France, stated that a winning start is never easy and expressed his delight with the players' overall performance.

In the 54th minute of the second half, France took possession and launched a counter-attack. Olise passed the ball diagonally into the penalty area, where Mbappe received it and fired a low shot into the net, giving France a 1-0 lead. Mbappe, who appeared to be injured, was subsequently substituted by Dué.

Ultimately, France defeated Türkiye 1-0 away from home, securing a successful start to the season.

Zinedine Zidane, the football legend who is leading France in a match for the first time, said, "I am incredibly excited. This is my first match in charge of France, and it is never easy to start a game with a victory, especially in Turkey."

“I think we played at the pace we needed and didn’t give our opponents any room to maneuver. We pressed high up the pitch and reacted very aggressively after losing possession. We also knew what to do when we had possession.”

Zidane noted, "Although we only trained together three and a half times, I saw many delightful highlights. It was very encouraging, and I'm satisfied with the players' performance and happy that my coaching debut ended in this way."

"This game also showed that we can play in different ways, which is what makes me feel special. Maintaining balance is the core of everything. We have players who can change the course of the game at any time, but we must maintain a solid overall organization and not expose ourselves to risks."

In addition, Zidane said, "We must also pay tribute to Turkey. Many people thought they would have a decline in physical fitness, but that was not the case. The Turkish team maintained a high level of intensity throughout the game and did not relax until the very end."

“We responded positively and everyone was prepared, including the substitutes, who did their jobs very well when they came on, which was really satisfying.”

Image source: Internet