Zinedine Zidane began his tenure as France national team coach with a 1-0 UEFA Nations League victory away to Turkey on Friday, but the mood after the match was tempered by concern over a knee injury sustained by captain Kylian Mbappé, who scored the only goal before being forced off.
The match, played at the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit — a coastal city on the Sea of Marmara, roughly 100 kilometres east of Istanbul — saw Mbappé break the deadlock in the 54th minute, controlling a pass from Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and finishing calmly at the near post for his 67th international goal. France's all-time top scorer, however, immediately grimaced in pain, clutching his left knee. He attempted to play on after treatment but eventually walked off to be replaced by Désiré Doué, leaving both France and Real Madrid anxiously awaiting news on the extent of the damage, with three more international fixtures scheduled over the next ten days.
Zidane, a France legend and winner of the 1998 World Cup as a player, was appointed coach in late July on a contract running to 2030. It is his first senior coaching role since his second spell at Real Madrid ended in 2021, and he became the first France men's coach to win his opening game since Aimé Jacquet in 1994. His tactical choices were evolutionary rather than revolutionary: Mbappé was deployed on the left wing rather than through the centre as he had been at the recent World Cup — where he finished as top scorer with ten goals — while Rayan Cherki of Manchester City started in midfield and Bournemouth's Adrien Truffert featured at left-back. The performance was built on organisation and patience, with France controlling long spells without producing a dominant display. Turkey, coached by former Italian international Vincenzo Montella, were competitive throughout and caused problems through a lively Arda Güler, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan forced into a fine save early in the second half. Turkey were reduced to ten men late on when keeper Ugurcan Cakir was shown a red card, confirmed by VAR, for handling the ball outside his area while denying substitute Bradley Barcola a clear run on goal.
Off the pitch, signs of a new era were perhaps more visible than on it. In the days before the match, Zidane walked out onto the training pitch at the Clairefontaine national football centre carrying his boots, personally demonstrating drills and feeding passes during shooting practice. He surrounded himself with a staff that includes long-time assistant David Bettoni and former France teammate and goalkeeping great Fabien Barthez. Players spoke warmly of the change in atmosphere. "We were all fans of his when we were young, so it's a pleasure and I'm very happy to be able to learn from him," said defender Dayot Upamecano.
France, who were beaten in the World Cup semi-finals by eventual winners Spain, sit in Group A1 of the Nations League and travel to Brussels on Monday to face Belgium, who beat Italy 2-0 on Friday. Zidane's home debut as coach is set for the following Friday, when Italy visit the Stade de France in Paris.