Montenegro strike late as rotated France head to Belgium
Montenegro beat Armenia 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, September 28, 2026.
Aleksa Latkovic scored the winner in the 89th minute. It settled a five-goal game in Yerevan. The Guardian
The tie was listed as a league-phase fixture in the 2027 edition of the competition. UEFA The Nations League is UEFA's tournament that groups national teams into tiered leagues, with a round-robin stage that decides promotion and relegation.
That game was part of a packed Monday slate. The 7:45pm BST kick-offs included Belgium v France, Northern Ireland v Hungary, Turkey v Italy, Sweden v Poland and Romania v Bosnia and Herzegovina. Northern Ireland v Hungary was a League B2 fixture and Romania v Bosnia was in League B4.
The focus was Belgium v France. France made nine changes from the side that beat Turkey 1-0 in the previous round. Maxence Lacroix was the only outfield player retained.
Three players made their France debuts: Andy Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet and Lucas Da Cunha. Esteban Lepaul made his first start as No 9, the main centre-forward. France lined up as Maignan; Kalulu, Jacquet, Lacroix, Diouf; Akliouche, Camavinga, Da Cunha; Doué, Lepaul, Barcola.
France were without Kylian Mbappé. He injured his left knee scoring the winner against Turkey, diagnosed as hyperextension of the posterior capsule, a stretching of tissue at the back of the joint. He was expected to miss the rest of the international break, the window when club football pauses for national-team games. The Guardian
Belgium came into the night with momentum. They had beaten Italy 2-0 in Rome in Mark van Bommel's first game in charge. Against France he made two changes, with Joaquin Seys replacing Maxim De Cuyper and Romeo Lavia replacing Nicolas Raskin.
Belgium started with Lammens; Castagne, Mechele, Ngoy, Seys; Lavia, Tielemans; Moreira, De Bruyne, Godts; De Ketelaere. Kevin De Bruyne started in midfield behind Charles De Ketelaere, the lone striker.
Elsewhere on the night there were two goalless draws. Georgia drew 0-0 with Ukraine. Latvia drew 0-0 with Cyprus.
What makes this stand out is the mix of the new and the familiar. A late winner on the road can lift a whole squad. A night of debuts can do the same. For fans, this means fresh faces to learn quickly, and a table that is already starting to take shape.
