France facing the spectre of a catastrophic record: Belgium adds fuel to the crisis | Goal.com

Published on 05 Oct 2026 | Reading time: 1 minute

France found themselves a goal down at the break against Belgium on Monday evening, as the two sides met at the Stade de France in the fourth round of the UEFA Nations League.

Benfica's Dodi Lukebakio opened the scoring, latching onto a superb pass from Romeo Lavia to leave Les Bleus staring at a difficult second half.

The deficit was not the only problem laid bare in those opening 45 minutes. France once again struggled badly in front of goal during a first half.

French network "Stats Foot" report that France have failed to score in the first half of their last "8 consecutive matches", their longest such run since a nine-game stretch between May and October 2010.

One more blank first half will see them equal the worst run in their history, a damning indictment of how slowly this side starts.

Trailing the Belgians, France must flip the script quickly after the break. Fail to do so and they risk a damaging defeat on home soil.

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