Turkey - France: Mbappe gives Zidane his first win, then goes off injured

Zinedine Zidane starts with a win. France beat Turkey 1-0 in Izmit on Friday night in their Nations League opener, thanks to a Kylian Mbappe goal. But the captain hurts his left knee on the goal and will miss the next three matches.

What was the Turkey - France score?

France win 1-0 at the Kocaeli Stadium. Mbappe scores in the 54th minute, set up by Michael Olise after a high turnover.

For his first match, Zidane reshapes the attack: Mbappe on the left, Ousmane Dembele through the middle, Olise on the right. The coach did not expect everything to click after a few days of training: the aim was to win.

Vincenzo Montella's Turkey were without their captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu, as well as Kenan Yıldız and Mert Müldür, all injured.

How did Turkey end up with ten men?

Goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır is sent off in the 87th minute: rushing far off his line to stop Bradley Barcola, he handles the ball outside his box. Before that, Arda Güler had forced a save from Mike Maignan in the 75th minute, and Çakır had kept out an Olise shot just before half-time.

How long will Mbappe be out?

Mbappe clutches his left knee while celebrating his goal and makes way for Desire Doue in the 59th minute. The diagnosis: a hyperextension of the left knee.

"It's not going well, unfortunately," Zidane admits. "We're not going to take any risks." The captain is ruled out for the rest of the international window and returns to Real Madrid for treatment. He will miss Belgium - France on Monday, then France - Italy and France - Belgium at the Stade de France.

Why is Zidane replacing Deschamps?

The 2026 World Cup was Didier Deschamps's last tournament. Unbeaten through six matches, France went out in the semi-final to Spain, who went on to become world champions: 2-0 on 14 July in Arlington, from an Oyarzabal penalty and a Pedro Porro goal.

Deschamps leaves after fourteen years and 185 matches, with a World Cup in 2018 and a Nations League in 2021. Zidane was appointed on 28 July on a four-year deal, running to the 2030 World Cup. He had not coached since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021.

On the eve of the match, he spoke of his emotion but insisted on staying in the background: "I'm not looking for that spotlight, and that's not why I'm here. I'm going to try to do my job, put things in place so that we win, that's what interests me most."

Who are the newcomers in the squad?

Zidane named his 23 players on 18 September, with five first call-ups:

Guillaume Restes, goalkeeper;
Andy Diouf and Jeremy Jacquet, defenders. Jacquet, 21, joined Liverpool from Rennes this summer;
Lucas Da Cunha, midfielder;
Esteban Lepaul, Ligue 1's top scorer last season.

Aurelien Tchouameni, back from a thigh injury and barely playing again, is not called up, nor is Marcus Thuram, left out by choice, or the injured William Saliba.

Two withdrawals follow the announcement. Robin Risser, not fully fit, is replaced by Jean Butez, the Como goalkeeper, called up for the first time at 31. Warren Zaire-Emery, with an adductor injury, makes way for Maghnes Akliouche.

The full squad:

Goalkeepers: Jean Butez, Mike Maignan, Guillaume Restes
Defenders: Andy Diouf, Jeremy Jacquet, Pierre Kalulu, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Truffert, Dayot Upamecano
Midfielders: Maghnes Akliouche, Eduardo Camavinga, Rayan Cherki, Lucas Da Cunha, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot
Forwards: Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Esteban Lepaul, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise

What is France's Nations League schedule?

France share Group A1 with Turkey, Belgium and Italy. Belgium win 2-0 in Italy on the same night and top the group, ahead of France. The top two go through to the quarter-finals, the bottom side drops to League B.

Monday 28 September, 20:45 CET: Belgium - France
Friday 2 October: France - Italy, at the Stade de France
Monday 5 October: France - Belgium, at the Stade de France
Thursday 12 November: Italy - France
Sunday 15 November: France - Turkey