French media said it was 'easy' to see why Jeremy Jacquet had already established himself in Liverpool's defence as they hailed his senior debut for his country. Reds pair Jacquet and Bradley Barcola came into the side as new France boss Zinedine Zidane made nine changes for the Nations League game away to Belgium.
Jacquet impresses on debut
However, it was a player who came off the bench, former Reds target Michael Olise, who finally broke the Belgian resistance in Brussels with a fine solo effort on 88 minutes, triggering wild celebrations from Zidane, who booted a spare ball as he charged down the touchline.
It was a deserved win for the French but a mixed night for the Liverpool duo. L'Equipe said Jacquet had a "very promising debut" while RMC delivered fulsome praise as they gave him a 7/10 rating.
The outlet said: "A successful first appearance for the French national team for the 21-year-old defender. He showcased his excellent passing ability, composure, and made some promising forward runs.
"He also made a valuable recovery tackle on a Belgian counter-attack early in the second half. It's easy to see why he's an undisputed starter for Liverpool."
Barcola falls short
It wasn't such a good night for Barcola, who made way for match-winner Olise on 77 minutes. RMC described him as "wasteful" and gave him 5/10. They said: "He created some space on the right flank of the Belgian defence thanks to his speed. He lacked finishing ability. Overall, he was too wasteful to have a significant impact, but remains a valuable asset due to his ability to make runs in behind."
Following Thursday's 1-0 win in Turkey, the match continued Zidane's 100 per cent winning start as France boss. The football icon's passion shone through following Olise's goal.
The former Real Madrid boss said: "I'm very satisfied with what the team did, and not just with the ball. Following on from the match in Turkey, on a much better pitch, we were very good all over.
"We had some things in place against a good Belgian team that also made us suffer, but we held on, we were courageous, we weren't afraid to go into the opposition's half.
"That's what I like, that's what we want. We perhaps dropped off a little in the second half, where we had some minor difficulties, but that's understandable. We made nine changes. What's great is that everyone is involved."
Italy up next
Zidane will look to make it three wins out of three when his side hosts Italy on Friday. The Italians bounced back from their defeat to Belgium with a 4-1 win in Turkey on Monday.
