As the halftime whistle blew, Kylian Mbappé hurried towards the players’ tunnel, closely followed by Ousmane Dembélé. In stark contrast, the rest of the French squad ambled off the pitch, reflecting a lack of urgency. The forward, often hailed as the best player globally—if not in the shadow of Ronaldo and Messi—and the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, had much to discuss.
France’s first half on Tuesday against a well-organized Senegal team was chaotic at best. The 2018 World Cup champions and 2022 runners-up struggled to find their rhythm, facing a cohesive Senegalese side that created more opportunities, including hitting the post. Despite this disjointed performance, France capitalized on their star-studded attacking lineup to secure a 3-1 victory, illustrating that even with a lackluster start, they could overpower their (former) African champions.
With Mbappé, Dembélé, and Michael Olise in the squad, the French team had the firepower to turn the game around. In the initial half, however, there was a noticeable absence of cohesion in their attacking play. Olise frequently drifted from his right flank, once nearly crossing to the opposite side to engage in the action, but struggled to make a significant impact. Meanwhile, Désiré Doué was nearly invisible on the left, and a series of comical miscommunications between Dembélé and Mbappé left the attack floundering.
In the fourth minute, Mbappé was nearly set free by Adrien Rabiot—often criticized yet favored by French manager Didier Deschamps—only to awkwardly control the pass with his right buttock. Despite several hopeful exchanges with Dembélé, their partnership failed to create any real threats against the Senegalese defense, which enjoyed a leisurely afternoon.
Late in the first half, Olise, sticking to the right flank for a change, skillfully maneuvered past El Hadji Malick Diouf and ventured into open space. He and Mbappé made eye contact but couldn’t synchronize their movements, resulting in frustration.
The duo of Mbappé and Dembélé struggled throughout the half, gesturing animatedly at each other as they attempted to communicate their intentions. The French team appeared as a collection of individuals in search of direction, hindered by an overly defensive strategy that placed their attackers in unfamiliar positions. They were painfully aware that their talent far exceeded their performance.
Senegal seized the initiative, slicing through the French defense to create multiple scoring opportunities. A shot from Nicolas Jackson rattled the near post after a turnover from Mbappé. Following another mistake from the star forward, a French journalist in the press box couldn’t contain his exasperation, exclaiming, “From time to time, you do have a rough start,”
“It’s quite hard to meet the high expectation at a World Cup.” Deschamps remarked. “He told me that he didn’t want to strike in a friendly match but wanted to score in a real match,”
Whatever adjustments were made during the break had an immediate effect. Switching Olise to a central position and moving Dembélé to the right allowed France to raise their intensity. They finally began to find their rhythm around the hour mark.
Both Olise and Mbappé faced strong saves from Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, while a clear penalty opportunity for Sadio Mané against Mbappé went unpunished, even after VAR intervention failed to sway referee Alireza Faghani.
In the 64th minute, Olise found some space and delivered an exquisite through ball to Mbappé, who narrowly missed it. However, they finally began to connect. Just two minutes later, the duo executed a similar play, with Olise sending a well-placed diagonal pass to Mbappé, who slotted the ball past Mendy, tying Olivier Giroud’s all-time France scoring record at 57 goals.
After Jackson’s goal was ruled offside, Rabiot surged forward in the 82nd minute, passing to substitute Bradley Barcola, who came on for Dembélé. Barcola showcased his finesse with a delicate chip over the keeper.
Senegal briefly rallied with a goal from Ibrahim Mbaye, but Olise and Mbappé had one more moment to delight the 82,000 fans in New Jersey. In the dying moments, Olise fought through a crowd and found Mbappé about 30 yards from goal.
Then, in a moment that exemplified why a nation places its hopes on him, Mbappé unleashed a stunning shot that curved past Mendy. This impressive goal marked his 58th for the national team, sealing the match at 3-1.
“Kylian was efficient, ruthlessly efficient,” Deschamps quipped about Mbappé’s record-setting goals. “People will still criticize him. He’s an iconic player, I’ve always said that. He can sometimes miss a game but on one action he can really tip the scales.”
While no French player will look back on this game as one of their best, Senegal impressed with their performance at times. Nevertheless, the presence of Mbappé, Olise, and Dembélé provided France with a significant margin for error.
“Kylian was efficient, ruthlessly efficient,” Deschamps stated. “People will still criticize him. He’s an iconic player; I’ve always said that. Sometimes he might miss a game, but in one play, he can tip the scales.”
As the final whistle blew, smiles and embraces replaced the earlier tension. Mbappé led Les Bleus to acknowledge the sea of French supporters who cheered them on. The grimaces of the first half, the misplaced passes, and the miscommunications faded from memory.
France will be just fine, thanks to their talented squad.
