Bradley Barcola spent 77 minutes on the pitch during the UEFA Nations League match on Monday, where France secured a 1-0 victory over Belgium. The only goal of the game was scored by Michael Olise.
However, Barcola found it challenging to make a significant impact under Zinedine Zidane. The start of the 2026/27 season has been difficult for the Liverpool forward, who, at 24 years old, has yet to register a goal or an assist in five appearances for the Merseyside club since his high-profile transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcola’s performance in the winning match against Belgium drew criticism. The French edition of Eurosport rated the forward just 4.5 out of 10, highlighting his technical errors and describing his display as “disjointed”.
Foot Mercato gave him a 5/10 rating, which was echoed by Maxifoot.
Get French Football News also scored his performance at 5 out of 10, while So Foot was slightly more generous, awarding him a 6/10.
The consensus among French media suggests that although Barcola troubled the Belgian defense with his dribbling runs, his lack of precision in the final third rendered his overall contribution disappointing.
It is worth noting that France claimed their second consecutive 1-0 win in the Nations League, which propelled them to the top of Group A1, ahead of Belgium, Italy, and Turkey.
Zidane’s squad still has two more Nations League fixtures to play: against Italy on October 2 and a return match with Belgium on October 5.
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