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Kylian Mbappé scored the decisive goal as Zidane became the first France coach since Aimé Jacquet in 1994 to win his opening match.
Zinedine Zidane began his tenure as France head coach with a 1-0 victory over Türkiye in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, ending a 32-year wait for a new Les Bleus manager to win his first match in charge.
Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal at Kocaeli Stadium in the 54th minute, giving Zidane a winning start in his first competitive match since succeeding Didier Deschamps.
UEFA confirmed that Zidane and Belgium coach Mark van Bommel both began their Nations League campaigns with victories on Friday.
Mbappé Delivers Decisive Goal
France struggled to find a breakthrough during the opening half as Türkiye defended with discipline and created pressure of its own.
The breakthrough arrived nine minutes after the restart.
Michael Olise provided the assist for Mbappé, who finished to put France ahead.
The goal was Mbappé’s 67th for France, according to UEFA, but the captain was unable to complete the match after suffering a knee injury shortly after scoring.
Mbappé was replaced by Désiré Doué in the 59th minute.
France subsequently protected its advantage to secure all three points, while Türkiye were reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was sent off in the 87th minute.
Zidane Ends 32-Year Wait
Zidane’s victory has a notable place in France’s managerial history.
The last France coach to win his opening match before Zidane was Aimé Jacquet, who began his tenure with a 1-0 victory over Italy in February 1994.
Since then, Roger Lemerre, Jacques Santini, Raymond Domenech, Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps had all failed to win their first matches as France manager.
Lemerre, Santini, Domenech and Deschamps opened their respective reigns with draws, while Blanc suffered defeat.
Zidane has now ended that sequence with his narrow victory in Türkiye. French sports outlet L’Équipe also noted that the wait between Jacquet’s opening victory and Zidane’s was 32 years.
Special Connection With Jacquet
Zidane’s achievement carries an additional historical connection because Jacquet was the coach who handed him his first senior France appearance in 1994.
Zidane later became one of the central figures in France’s golden generation, helping the country win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000.
He has now returned to the national team as head coach following his successful club-management career with Real Madrid.
Zidane had been away from coaching since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. His appointment ended years of speculation over whether he would eventually take charge of France.
Mbappé Injury Clouds Victory
The victory was tempered by concern over Mbappé’s condition.
After scoring, the France captain experienced discomfort around his knee and was substituted five minutes later.
Zidane subsequently confirmed that the injury would keep Mbappé out of France’s next three Nations League matches.
French newspaper Le Monde reported that Zidane described the injury as a tendon lesion in the knee and said the team would not take risks with the forward.
France is scheduled to face Belgium twice and Italy once during the current Nations League campaign.
Mbappé’s absence therefore represents an immediate challenge for Zidane as he continues to establish his team.
Zidane Starts New Chapter
The match also represented Zidane’s return to the touchline after a five-year absence from management.
His two spells at Real Madrid produced three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles during his first tenure, alongside domestic honours.
His appointment as France manager now places him in charge of the national team he represented as a player.
Mbappé had previously described the prospect of being coached by Zidane for France as “like a movie,” highlighting the significance of their new relationship within the national team.
Zidane’s first match also provided an early look at his preferred selection, with Mike Maignan in goal and a defence featuring Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, Maxence Lacroix and Adrien Truffert.
Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise formed part of the attacking setup, while Eduardo Camavinga, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola also featured during the match.
France Earns Three Points
The victory puts France on three points in Group 1 of the Nations League.
Belgium also collected three points after defeating Italy 2-0 in Rome and currently leads the group on goal difference.
Türkiye and Italy both began the campaign without a point.
For Zidane, the immediate objective was achieved with a victory in his first match.
The next fixtures will provide further opportunities for him to implement his ideas and assess the squad.
However, France will have to continue the campaign without its captain for the next three matches because of Mbappé’s injury.
For now, Zidane has made a historic start: France have won their opening match under a new coach for the first time since Jacquet did so in 1994.
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