France beat Belgium 4-1 as Lacroix, Lavia feature

France defeated Belgium 4-1 in a Nations League Group A fixture at the Stade de France on Sunday, rallying from a first-half deficit with four unanswered goals in the second half.

Belgium broke the deadlock with ten minutes of the first half remaining. Romeo Lavia created the opening goal with a defence-splitting pass that sent Dodi Lukebakio through to finish confidently.

The visitors held firm into the second half before Desire Doue equalised with 13 minutes to play. Rayan Cherki then put France ahead, and Michael Olise completed the turnaround with a late brace to seal the result.

Maxence Lacroix played the full 90 minutes for France, while Lavia was withdrawn late as Belgium searched unsuccessfully for a way back into the match. Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders was an unused substitute for the visitors.

Earlier on Sunday, three Chelsea academy players were involved as England Under-19s concluded their September-October fixtures against Belgium. Goalkeeper Freddy Bernal and midfielder Reggie Walsh, currently on loan at Wigan Athletic, both started, while forward Chizaram Ezenwata came off the bench. England lost 1-0 to a stoppage-time goal.