Zidane justifies his controversial incident with France

Following the historic start

Twenty years after his last appearance in a France shirt, Zinedine Zidane was back among Les Bleus, though this time from the dugout. As everyone prepared for "La Marseillaise" before the clash with Turkey, Zidane was nowhere to be seen at the anthem's start, a moment that turned heads.

He put it down to the protocol running quicker than he'd anticipated. Speaking at the press conference after the match, he said: "Unfortunately, yes. The protocol was faster than expected, and I was slightly late in setting off. I would have preferred to arrive right from the start."

France edged Turkey 1-0. It was Zidane's first game at the helm of the national team's technical staff, marking his return to the fold after two decades away, since the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.

The win carried more than sentimental weight. Zidane became the first France manager to win his opening match since Aimé Jacquet.

Jacquet had launched his Les Bleus reign with a 1-0 victory over Italy in Naples on 16 February 1994, Youri Djorkaeff supplying the goal.

Between Jacquet's era and Zidane's arrival, five managers took charge of France. None of them won their first match. Zidane broke the run with a precious victory over Turkey.