An ode to Michael Olise's latest moment of mesmeric brilliance
Michael Olise scored a solo 88th-minute goal to give France a 1-0 victory over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League in Brussels. The move started in Olise’s own half: Rayan Cherki chipped the ball over Belgian full-back Maxim De Cuyper into Olise’s path. Olise knocked it past De Cuyper by throwing his left shoulder at the airborne ball, leaving the defender chasing as he stumbled in a desperate attempt to recover. France’s attacker, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, carried the ball repeatedly—during the summer’s World Cup he made 43 carries of 10 meters or more, the most by any attacker—and finished with a calm, side-footed strike into the bottom-left corner, kissing the post. Belgium’s Thomas Meunier and Nathan Ngoy slid to block, while goalkeeper Senne Lammens dove. Zinedine Zidane celebrated with a rapid run to the touchline, and the match saw nine changes from France’s prior 1-0 win in Turkey.







