Zinedine Zidane began his reign as France manager with a narrow 1-0 victory over Turkey in the Nations League, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the decisive goal before being forced off with an apparent injury.
France had to withstand an energetic start from Turkey, who thought they had threatened the visitors inside the opening four minutes when Baris Yilmaz tested Mike Maignan. The effort was ruled out for offside, however.
Mbappe produced France’s first serious attempt midway through the half, firing wide after being picked out by Michael Olise. Turkey then appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty when Yilmaz went down under pressure from Maxence Lacroix inside the French area.
France gradually took control and began to dominate possession. Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele grew into the game and Zidane’s side began to create more openings, with Rayan Cherki almost profiting from a loose ball before Merih Demiral intervened.
Olise went close before half-time when his effort was saved by goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, while Adrien Rabiot lifted the rebound over the crossbar as Turkey held out.
The hosts threatened again shortly after the restart when Arda Guler won a free-kick following a collision with Cherki. The resulting delivery struck Lacroix and went narrowly wide.
Turkey continued to look dangerous but France finally made their pressure count in the 54th minute. Olise found Mbappe, who finished towards the near post for his 67th international goal.
Sur sa frappe victorieuse, Kylian Mbappé s’est blessé au genou. Il souffre d’une lésion tendineuse et est forfait pour la suite du rassemblement.
Bon rétablissement Kylian 💙 pic.twitter.com/S3YV9oscSO
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) September 25, 2026
Mbappe appeared to hurt himself during the celebration and received treatment away from the pitch. He briefly returned before being withdrawn, with Desire Doue taking his place.
Doue immediately tested Cakir, who made a save to keep the deficit at one. Turkey pushed for an equaliser but were dealt another setback when their goalkeeper was sent off for handling outside his area.
Manchester United’s Altay Bayindir came on in goal and Turkey kept sniffing around for opportunities, but France held on.
