Désiré Doué earns Jordan comparison after Belgium win

Désiré Doué has emerged as the main focus of France’s 1-0 Nations League victory over Belgium after taking charge of an inexperienced attack in Brussels. With Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise absent from the starting lineup, the Paris Saint-Germain winger became the side’s leading threat alongside Bradley Barcola and Esteban Lepaul.

His display impressed Stéphane Jobard, the former assistant to Rudi Garcia during the latter’s time as Belgium coach. Jobard likened the 19-year-old’s influence to Michael Jordan’s and said Doué creates the expectation that something extraordinary may happen whenever he receives the ball. The assessment followed a performance in which Doué repeatedly unsettled Belgium’s defence.

Doué struck the crossbar in the 12th minute after a sequence of dribbles and went close to scoring again in the 51st and 58th minutes. His contribution helped France secure a narrow win despite nine changes from the team that defeated Turkey 1-0 on Friday and three players making their international debuts.

Jobard also praised France’s collective level despite the limited experience of the lineup. France will play Italy at home on Friday before hosting Belgium again the following Monday in the final match of the international break. Both fixtures will be played at the Stade de France.