Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise scored in a remarkable finale to propel France to a come-from-behind 4-1 win over Belgium.
France 4-1 Belgium: Super-subs spark Nations League rout
Belgium were holding out valiantly against France, but three substitutes flipped the script at the Stade de France.
With just 13 minutes of normal time left in Monday's Nations League contest at the Stade de France, Zinedine Zidane's unbeaten start as France coach was in real jeopardy.
The visitors led through Dodi Lukebakio's 35th-minute strike, with the forward having burst clear on the counter-attack and finished brilliantly.
Without Kylian Mbappe, France lacked a clinical touch in the first half, with Ousmane Dembele, Maghnes Akliouche, Eduardo Camavinga and Esteban Lepaul seeing half-chances pass them by.
France's profligacy continued after the break, with Lepaul denied from point-blank range, yet Les Bleus' luck changed when Zidane turned to his bench.
Cherki and Olise were the first changes, and though they helped build the pressure, it was not until Doue entered the fray that they finally made the breakthrough.
Doue superbly created space on the edge of the box and, on the turn, drilled a sublime finish into the bottom-right corner.
The turnaround was complete four minutes later, as Olise drove to the byline and steered it back for Cherki, who duly finished.
Olise got in on the act in the 88th minute, nudging home from Doue's cutback.
And the same pair combined to complete a stunning rout in stoppage time, with Olise sliding in a crisp effort after latching onto Doue's sumptuous pass.
Super-subs to the rescue
France had all the ball, all the territory and all the intent for the vast majority of the second half, yet it really did seem as though they were short of ideas.
It seemed like Zidane would be left to bemoan Mbappe's absence, and that France's hopes of qualifying from Nations League Group A1 could be in the balance heading into the November fixtures.
Instead, their star power off the bench proved just too much for Belgium to handle.
Doue, Cherki and Olise were all spellbinding. Each of them crafted two chances, while Olise ended up having four shots, a total bettered only by Dembele (five).
Zidane made 10 changes to his starting XI, but he always knew he had real, world-class quality in reserve. This win did not come easy, but once France's talent clicked into gear, there was nothing Belgium could do.
France finished with 23 shots for a combined 2.0 expected goals, but that does not tell the whole story.
Belgium created opportunities worth a combined 0.59 xG, yet their second-half xG came in at just 0.04, as they were completely dominated.
It is now three wins from four for Zidane to start his tenure, while Mark van Bommel's Belgium sit on six points from a potential 12.
