Leagues ·
Football Roundup: Olise Wins It for France, Perez Summoned to Court, Italy Thrash Turkiye
Michael Olise scored a late solo goal as France defeated Belgium 1-0, Florentino Pérez was summoned to court over Barcelona's defamation lawsuit, and Italy swept past Türkiye 4-1.
France claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on September 28, 2026, in UEFA Nations League action. Substitute Michael Olise provided the decisive moment in the 88th minute after coming off the bench in the 77th minute. The Bayern Munich winger picked up the ball midway inside his own half, embarked on a solo run, and curled a precise low shot inside the post past Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The victory marks head coach Zinédine Zidane's second consecutive 1-0 win following his debut victory against Türkiye. Les Bleus created several opportunities throughout the match, with Désiré Doué striking the woodwork twice and Lucas da Cunha hitting the post.
Off the pitch, Spanish football faces drama as a Madrid court has summoned Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and FC Barcelona to a conciliation hearing on November 25, 2026. The legal action was initiated by Barcelona following public statements made by Pérez regarding the ongoing Negreira investigation. Pérez claimed there was systemic refereeing corruption and alleged that Real Madrid was denied up to seven La Liga titles as a result. Barcelona launched proceedings under Article 205 of Spain's Penal Code, demanding a formal retraction of claims it labeled as false, defamatory, and damaging to its reputation. Should Pérez fail to appear or decline to retract his remarks during the hearing, Barcelona confirmed it will immediately file a full criminal complaint for slander.
In another UEFA Nations League fixture on September 28, 2026, Italy secured a comfortable 4-1 away victory against Türkiye at the Atatürk Spor Kompleksi Matlı Stadyumu in Bursa to earn their first points in Group A1. Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the 9th minute, followed by Davide Frattesi in the 23rd minute and debutant Michael Kayode in the 27th minute to build a commanding three-goal lead. Barış Alper Yılmaz pulled one back for Türkiye in the 47th minute, but Inter Milan forward Francesco Pio Esposito sealed the victory by heading home a rebound in the 50th minute. The emphatic result marks the first win for head coach Roberto Mancini in his return to the Azzurri bench.
Sources: https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQF8zfQc4oIlSSg8t2Hi7mnXl9CKKhn888ag2HoFs4DZnghJzJg0eCKGZbI81fX3oV7VKBFYnZl7SmjkUObxOrLIQJki_GflUoGqJi2yawSpmxeUQQCX83HcHymbNzWyV2xv3YrvCnYFcKByfiN846z_atBEywf4d38PtY6dD5Nyexpcwb4CnfZc9chpVeISUA== · https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGM9TCAsfEK9tbL02qZxhPc8jNAMYEZ3sg6YYaN0aigEet-V7H8liMYX5lJkU4Rf6WVzD9-0ku2qm0mGBkLNFZLmJqa5XzehBSF7mJhCznGy4YD27vRmSNMHl5vb8Sd7obi0DTSGmONYQwRDsz8BqcuuZrcITMsa5tY2mLByFQmHuVeUdmNdJ_u-sBT-pJ2pEqA9afX_pqbJ1kKf_H34rbHIngc4wkzgkLBig==
Nations League · France · Italy · Real Madrid · Barcelona
Competition: UEFA Nations League