Instant Impact: Desire Doue Shakes Up Zinedine Zidane’s Starting France Attack

The left knee injury suffered by Kylian Mbappé in Turkey opened up a spot in Les Bleus' starting lineup. Handed a start on the wing by Zinedine Zidane, Désiré Doué hit the ground running, notably rattling the crossbar in the 12th minute at King Baudouin Stadium.

The young Paris Saint-Germain talent kept constant pressure on the opposing backline throughout the clash. Named Player of the Match on matchday 2 of the UEFA Nations League, he dictated the tempo before Michael Olise finally broke the deadlock in the 88th minute to seal a 1-0 victory, as detailed in the FFF's official match report.

Speaking to TF1 after the final whistle, the France national team head coach had plenty of praise for his winger. Zinedine Zidane particularly valued the work rate down the flank and the team spirit shown by Désiré Doué and Jérémy Jacquet.

The manager publicly hailed the performance and impact of Désiré Doué out wide throughout the match.

This narrow win leaves Les Bleus alone at the top of Group A1 in the UEFA Nations League with 6 points. After beating Turkey and then Belgium (1-0), the French squad sits clear of the Belgians. The team now turns its focus to the clash against Italy before facing the Red Devils again.

For Désiré Doué, the chance to cement a long-term role with the France national team comes at the perfect time. The Paris Saint-Germain prodigy has already impressed against top nations. He now has every opportunity to lock down a regular place in Zinedine Zidane's starting line-up.