New Era: Mbappe Hands Zidane Winning Start…

The Zinedine Zidane era got off to a positive start after France opened their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 1-0 win over Turkey.

UEFA Nations League
Teams: Turkey v France
Result: 0-1
Scorers: Mbappe (54′)

Following a pacey start either end, Les Bleus were closest to unlocking the defence when Rayan Cherki came short on the right and nudged inside to cutback for Kylian Mbappe to take aim but the skipper sent his effort wide of the mark.

The pressure reverted to the French in a tense opening spell following a smart glancing header in the half-space of the six-yard box by Baras Yilmaz but goalkeeper Mike Maignan was able to make a save after some good work by Arda Guler in the build-up.

Les Bleus remained more threatening though and were close to finding the breakthrough in a spectacular fashion when Michael Olise cut-inside and dropped a shoulder to produce a curling shot to the top corner, but Ugurcan Cakir repelled expertly.

After the scoreless first half, Turkiye were on the attack minutes into the second half and almost broke the deadlock when a header by Ismail Yuksek forced Maignan to make a sprawling save.

However, the fears were allayed five minutes in as Les Bleus pounced after Olise intercepted a loose ball high-up the pitch following a stray pass and released Mbappe, who controlled well before rifling the ball into the back of the net.

The France captain was unable to continue after getting the breakthrough after suffering knock on route to finding the net and was subsequently removed for Paris Saint-Germain star Desire Doue.

France applied more pressure in a quest to double their advantage and came close to getting it when Jules Kounde came short on the right after managing to nudge inside and saw his low curling shot deflect onto the upright.

Guler looked keen to get the host back on level terms later on with a stern shot from a tight angle following a forward run from midfield, but he was unable to get the better of Maignan.

The tables turned on the Turkish who were reduced to ten men two minutes to stoppage time when goalkeeper Cakir received a straight red card for handling the ball outside the area following the intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

There was no further drama closing stages of the encounter as Les Bleus started their reign under Zidane on a high, while the Turks suffer defeat on home soil in their Nations League opener.

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