Tournaments ·
France Stun Belgium 4-1 With Four Late Goals From the Bench; Italy Beat Türkiye; Manchester City Appeal Under the Spotlight
Substitutes Doué, Cherki and Olise (twice) scored in the final quarter of an hour as France came from behind to beat Belgium 4-1 at the Stade de France. Italy beat Türkiye 3-1 in Bologna, Manchester City's appeal against their guilty verdict dominates talk in England, and Córdoba edged Tenerife 3-2.
France came from behind to beat Belgium 4-1 at the Stade de France on Monday, October 5, in UEFA Nations League Group A1. Dodi Lukébakio put Belgium ahead in the 35th minute and the visitors held that lead until the 77th. Then Zinedine Zidane's substitutes took over: Désiré Doué equalised, Rayan Cherki made it 2-1 in the 81st minute and Michael Olise scored twice, in the 88th minute and in stoppage time. All four goals came from players sent on in the second half, in the space of about a quarter of an hour. According to ESPN, France lead the group with 10 points from four matches (three wins and a draw).
In the group's other match, Italy beat Türkiye 3-1 at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna. Gianluca Scamacca opened the scoring in the 26th minute, Aral Şimşir levelled in the 61st, Riccardo Calafiori restored Italy's lead three minutes later and Francesco Pio Esposito added the third in the 87th. It is Italy's second win over Türkiye in this campaign under Roberto Mancini.
In England, Manchester City remain the main talking point as the Premier League returns after the international break. An independent commission has found the club guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City lodged an appeal last week, saying the club is innocent and that the decision contains errors of law and fact. No sanction has been decided yet. Sky Sports reported on Monday that rival Premier League clubs do not expect City to be in the top flight next season if the appeal fails, and that an appeal hearing is expected before Christmas; that is Sky's reporting of the clubs' view, not a ruling.
In Spain's second division, Córdoba beat Tenerife 3-2 at the Nuevo Arcángel. Eder García scored after three minutes, Gomis equalised in the 17th, Diego Percan put Córdoba back in front in the 23rd, Ranos made it 2-2 in the 68th and Isma Ruiz struck the winner from the edge of the area in the 77th. Tenerife finished with ten men after Juanjo's second yellow card in the 87th minute.
Match facts (all played Monday, October 5, 2026)
• France 4-1 Belgium, UEFA Nations League A1 — Stade de France, Saint-Denis. Referee: Nick Walsh (Scotland) and attendance 75,389, both according to the match record on Wikipedia.
• Italy 3-1 Türkiye, UEFA Nations League A1 — Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna. Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) and attendance 30,040, both according to the match record on Wikipedia.
• Córdoba 3-2 Tenerife, Spanish Segunda División — Nuevo Arcángel, Córdoba. Referee: Ojaos Varela (Murcia committee) and attendance 14,455, both according to the EFE agency match report.
Sources: https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/401861129 · https://www.vavel.com/en-us/soccer/2026/10/05/1274005-france-vs-belgium-live-score-uefa-nations-league.html · https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/401861131 · https://www.flashscore.com/news/soccer-italy-turkey-uefa-nations-league-report-october-05-2026/OS2OTyrh/ · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_UEFA_Nations_League_A · https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13595428/man-city-charges-premier-league-clubs-do-not-expect-city-to-be-in-premier-league-next-season-if-appeal-fails · https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50083711/man-city-financial-breaches-appeal-guilty-verdict-premier-league · https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/2/manchester-city-appeal-premier-league-financial-ruling-england-fa · https://www.infobae.com/espana/agencias/2026/10/05/3-2-el-cordoba-vuelve-a-ganar-en-casa-tras-un-partido-loco-ante-el-tenerife/ · https://www.cope.es/deportes/futbol/laliga-hypermotion/noticias/cordoba-vuelve-ganar-casa-partido-loco-tenerife-20261005_3450164.html
France · Belgium · Nations League · Olise · Italy · Manchester City · Cordoba
Competition: UEFA Nations League