Zinedine Zidane began his tenure as France manager with a victory as Kylian Mbappe’s goal secured a 1-0 win over Turkiye in their Nations League opener.
Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 54th minute but was forced off with an injury shortly afterwards. France were unable to extend their advantage, although Turkiye goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was sent off in the 87th minute for handling the ball outside his penalty area.
Turkiye threatened early, with Baris Alper Yilmaz racing onto a long pass inside the opening four minutes before Mike Maignan denied him. The France goalkeeper then recovered quickly to stop Can Uzun, with the assistant referee eventually raising the offside flag.
Mbappe sent an effort wide at the other end, while Rayan Cherki’s low attempt was blocked by Merih Demiral as France struggled to find a way through the Turkish defence.
Michael Olise came closest to scoring for France in the opening half, forcing Cakir into a difficult save, before Adrien Rabiot sent the resulting corner over the crossbar.
France started the second period slowly and nearly fell behind in the 50th minute. Maignan produced an excellent reaction save to tip Ismail Yuksek’s unmarked header over the bar.
Four minutes later, France took the lead. Turkiye surrendered possession in a dangerous area, allowing Olise to quickly find Mbappe. The France captain then fired a low shot beyond Cakir from the left side of the box.
Mbappe appeared to injure himself immediately after scoring and was visibly uncomfortable. He managed only another five minutes before being replaced.
Desire Doue, who came on for Mbappe, saw a curling effort from distance saved, while Jules Kounde struck the base of the left post after leaving Uzun on the ground inside the area.
Turkiye continued searching for an equaliser, but Maignan denied Guler at his near post. France then gained further control after Cakir was dismissed for handling outside his area while attempting to stop Bradley Barcola’s run.
Mbappe equals his own record but raises injury concern
Mbappe’s departure after receiving medical treatment provided a worrying moment for France and Real Madrid supporters, although the extent of the injury remained unclear.
Before leaving the field, however, the captain had already made a significant contribution by scoring the first goal of the Zidane era and giving France a winning start to the competition.
The goal was Mbappe’s 12th for France in 2026, taking him level with his own record for the most goals scored by a Les Bleus player in a calendar year during the 21st century. He also reached 12 in 2022.
Despite fielding several of their key players, France were not at their most fluent and finished with 1.21 expected goals (xG) from 12 attempts, only marginally ahead of Turkiye’s 1.14 xG from the same number of shots.
Guler was among Turkiye’s most influential players, recording three shots, the highest total in the match, while creating three chances and registering 88 touches, more than any of his teammates. Turkiye face a difficult group campaign with Italy and Belgium also among their opponents.
