France coach Didier Deschamps reaps rewards of trusting Randal Kolo Muani in thrilling 2-1 win over Belgium

Kolo Muani scored a penalty and a header in the second half to secure a hard-fought victory for Les Bleus, despite finishing the match with 10 men after captain Aurelien Tchouameni received his second booking. The home side put up a spirited performance but ultimately fell short against the determined French team.

The 25-year-old has been a rare starter for Paris Saint-Germain this season but has scored four goals in as many games for France.

“He’s interesting, he’s radiant,” Deschamps told broadcaster TF1.

“He is confident and has a very specific profile where in his runs with the ball there is presence. He is a good header and with us he is very often successful.”

Belgium dominated the opening exchanges and would have opened the scoring if Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans had not missed a penalty.

“We were shaken for the first 20 to 25 minutes where they (Belgium) put in a lot of intensity, while we made a lot of technical errors,” Deschamps added.

“When we were able to find solutions going forward, it was better for us.

“We had to shake them (the players) up. In relation to what we said, and what the players had said, it’s mostly the mistakes, we had to calm down. We had to go forward and press well. Of course, they had chances, but so did we in the second half. We’re happy to win this match, especially with 10 men.”

Tchouameni was shown a second yellow card quarter of an hour from time for tripping Tielemans as the Belgian player advanced on goal, but the visitors held on.

France were without talisman Kylian Mbappe, who chose to skip their latest Nations league matches and was also given time off to work on his fitness, and had several less experienced players in the line-up.

This made the win all the more pleasing for Deschamps.

“It’s a young team that doesn’t have a lot of experience,” he said. “But there was seriousness and enthusiasm (for this match). It’s better to win these kind of games.”

Italy lead the group with 10 points from four games ahead of 2021 Nations League winners France on nine, while Belgium have four. The top two qualify for the quarter-finals that will be played in March 2025. , AFP