France Starts with a Win
France started their 2026 World Cup journey with a 3-1 victory against Senegal at the end of a closely contested encounter at MetLife Stadium.
France had several flaws in the first half of the game, but Senegal couldn’t take advantage of those due to a lack of a clinical striker in their attack.
France struggled to create chances consistently due to the absence of a natural playmaker in midfield, which reduced the services to the final third, and the team struggled to keep possession by beating the intense press from Senegal's midfield led by Lamine Camara.
Olise Pulls the Strings for Les Bleus
Michael Olise had an exceptional night in MetLife with his impressive performance throughout the match, along with an assist to Mbappe through a pass breaking Senegal's deadlock in the 66th minute.
Olise did drop to the midfield to collect the ball and progress to the final third several times; he was able to create multiple chances from the right wing, but France were not able to convert those past Edward Mendy.
Mbappé Delivers When It Matters
Mbappe came to the rescue in the final third after a disappointing first half with multiple missed chances; he effortlessly converted Olise's pass for the opener and responded immediately to Ibrahim Mbaye's goal for Senegal with a stunning strike from outside the box.
His brace against Senegal took his World Cup tally to 14 goals, just two goals behind all-time top scorer Miroslav Klose. Now Mbappé is the second top scorer in the World Cup, along with Messi, who also scored 14 goals from his last 5 campaigns.
Barcola Makes Instant Impact
Bradley Barcola's substitution had an instant impact on the game with a goal; he created threats from the left side of France with his direct runs and dribbling.
France’s attacking third didn’t have their best game, but they stepped up for the team when it mattered the most for Les Bleus.