Zinedine Zidane's first game in charge of France ended on a sour note as Kylian Mbappé injured his left knee moments after scoring in a 1-0 win in Turkey.
The 2026 World Cup's best passer Michael Olise threaded a fine pass and the World Cup's all-time leading scorer Mbappé rifled in a low shot in the 54th minute.
Mbappé then sat on the ground clasping his left leg and within minutes Zidane had to take him off.
The France camp said he suffered a knee
tendon injury and would return to Madrid for treatment. A replacement was not immediately named.
“No, it’s not good. It’s not good, unfortunately,” Zidane told French television about Mbappé's injury. “We will not take risks.”
After failing to qualify for three straight World Cups, Italy’s rebuild under returning coach Roberto Mancini began badly with a 2-0 loss to Belgium in Rome.
Elsewhere, the Charles brothers combined to help Northern Ireland beat Georgia 1-0 in Tbilisi for a first-ever victory in League B.
Mbappé was on the left flank and fellow Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembélé through the middle, with Olise on the right wing and Manchester City's Rayan Cherki in midfield.
A scrappy opening saw lots of botched passes from both sides, although the bumpy playing surface at Kocaeli Stadiuma stadium in İzmit was a factor.
Near the end of the first half, Olise's dipping shot forced a fine save from Uğurcan Çakır and midfielder Adrien Rabiot scooped the ball over following fine work from Cherki and Dembélé.
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan matched Çakır's save with a stunning one-handed stop from İsmail Yüksek's downward header. Çakır was then sent off in the 87th for blocking Bradley Barcola's shot with his arm when he was outside the area.
Only 47,155 spectators showed up in the 70,000-seat Stadio Olimpico as winger Mika Godts, signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Ajax in the offseason, scored for Belgium after 20 minutes with a low finish past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
A brilliant effort from Dodi Lukébakio following a run from the halfway line made it 2-0 midway through the second half.
Shea Charles scored deep into stoppage-time for Northern Ireland after younger brother Pierce Charles had saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's penalty midway through the second half.
PSG star Kvaratskhelia has failed to score in the French league this season.
In League B, Ukraine won 1-0 at Hungary thanks to forward Danylo Sikan's goal, while Sweden beat Romania 2-1 on goals from Liverpool striker Alexander Isak and Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres. Robert Lewandowski's Poland drew 0-0 at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Georgii Arutiunian and Artur Garibyan scored in Armenia's 2-0 win against Latvia and Montenegro beat Cyprus 2-1 in League C games. ___
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