By Nakampe Lekwadu
France began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Senegal in a fast-paced Group I encounter played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA, on Tuesday night.
Senegal approached the match with determination and attacked from the first whistle. They nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ismaila Sarr raced down the right flank, but his dangerous cross was cleared by the French defense.
France created their first meaningful opportunity in the 18th minute when Ousmane Dembélé connected with a well-delivered cross from Michael Olise, but his effort was blocked by the Senegalese defence.
The two-time world champions, who lifted the trophy in 1998 and 2018, endured several nervous moments as Senegal continued to threaten. In the 24th minute, Nicolas Jackson struck the upright before the ball deflected off goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Senegal came close again in the 29th minute when Sarr fired wide, while Sadio Mané was denied by a fine save from Maignan five minutes later.
France almost benefited from his own goal in the 44th minute when Kalidou Koulibaly’s attempted clearance nearly ended up in his own net, but the ball went out for a corner kick.
The teams went into the halftime break deadlocked at 0-0.
Whatever France coach Didier Deschamps said during the interval appeared to have the desired effect as Les Bleus emerged with renewed purpose. Désiré Doué came close to breaking the deadlock in the 47th minute, but his effort drifted wide.
France continued to press and nearly scored in the 55th minute when Kylian Mbappé burst through the middle and into the penalty area, only for Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to produce a brilliant save with his feet.
Mbappé finally made the breakthrough in the 65th minute, calmly finishing from the right side of the box after being set up by an excellent pass from Olise.
The goal appeared to unsettle Senegal, allowing France to dominate possession and dictate the tempo. Substitute Bradley Barcola doubled France’s advantage in the 82nd minute after a neat exchange with Adrien Rabiot before firing home with his right foot.
Senegal refused to give up and pulled a goal back through Ibrahim Mbaye in the fifth minute of stoppage time. However, their celebrations were short-lived as Mbappé struck again a minute later to restore France’s two-goal cushion and seal a 3-1 victory.
The result gives France a strong start to their Group I campaign, while Senegal will be looking to bounce back in their next fixture.