FEATURE | Three things learned as France get off to a winning start against Senegal with a much-improved second half showing

In their first encounter since 2002, France were hoping to get one over on Senegal after the African nation pulled off a shock the last time they both met at the World Cup. The opening fixture for Les Bleus at the FIFA World Cup 2026 marks only the second time the two nations have faced off against each other.  

Following a poor performance in the first half, France recovered in the second half to exorcise their demons from 2002, with a much improved display. Les Bleus secured three points in their opening match thanks to a record-equaling goal from Kylian Mbappé and a deft chip from Bradley Barcola. 

Front four slow to fire

Given the plethora of attacking options at his disposal, Didier Deschamps opted for an attacking lineup against Senegal. With Kylian Mbappé leading the line, Ousmane Dembéle playing off the Real Madrid forward, Désiré Doué and Michael Olise either side of the France captain, the Les Bleus head coach went with an uncharacteristic attacking starting eleven.

Despite what would appear to be a frightening prospect for most defences on paper, the French attack failed to cause the Senegalese defence many problems. Mbappé struggled as a lone striker, with several of his touches going astray. The Real Madrid forward huffed and puffed whilst hoping to create something in the final third, but most of his efforts were in vain. He touched the ball 14 times in the first half and lost the ball on 7 occasions.  

After a dressing down from Deschamps at half-time, the front four returned to the pitch for the second half with a renewed vigour and sense of purpose. With Olise in the ten and Mbappé more direct, things started to happen. This was displayed as the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder delivered a sumptuous ball into the path of the France captain, who made no mistake with a good finish beyond Édouard Mendy. Bradley Barcola later got in on the act with brilliant movement from the bench to secure the victory. 

Attack = the best form of defence?

In addition to the attacking front four, Deschamps instructed his full-backs to operate in advanced starting positions in the first half. Théo Hernández and Jules Kounde both continued to push high in a bid to help Les Bleus control possession and create overloads in wide areas given the tendency of Doué and Olise to cut inside and operate in central areas. 

The attacking nature of both full-backs often left Saliba and Upamecano short-changed at the back. Nicolas Jackson, in particular, was afforded far too much space to run in behind. Les Bleus were handed a severe warning in the first half as the Chelsea forward was offered the freedom of the French half before crashing a shot against the post. A fortunate deflection off Maignan’s back was the only thing preventing France from falling behind. 

Occasionally, Tchouaméni dropped deeper to allow the wide defenders to push forwards. Deschamps would have sacrificed defensive security if it meant his full backs were the spare man in attack and creating opportunities. However, both were largely ineffectual in attack and left their defensive counterparts far too exposed. 

Mbappé breaks another record 

Breaking records is something that has become customary for Kylian Mbappé. However, there has been one record which has been sitting at the top of the pile for the Real Madrid forward – France’s all-time leading goalscorer. Before the tournament, the Frenchman sat on 56 goals, knowing that two strikes would see him eclipse Olivier Giroud’s record of 57 goals for Les Bleus. 

Following a disappointing first-half display, no one would have predicted that Mbappé would secure the record at the first opportunity.  He struggled to get going before the break, and a lack of opportunities left him frustrated. The second half was a completely different picture. 

The France captian’s frustration grew as he was denied what looked like a stonewall penalty following a challenge from Sadio Mané. Nevertheless, he managed to put this frustration behind him and score the game’s opening goal. Olise deserves much credit for the weight and accuracy of his delivery, but the 27-year-old added the finishing touch with aplomb to equal Giroud’s record. 

In the dying embers of the game, as Senegal threatened to stage a comeback with a late goal, Mbappé completely dashed any hopes of a comeback. The attacker fired a long-range effort to secure the victory and record in style. He is now France’s all-time top goalscorer, and it is hard to see who or when that record will be taken from him. 

GFFN | Liam Wraith