France made Senegal wait for an hour before breaking them, and then Kylian Mbappé made sure the evening belonged entirely to him. A 3-1 victory at MetLife Stadium sends Didier Deschamps' side into the Group I standings with maximum points, settled by a brace from their captain and a second from substitute Bradley Barcola in the closing stages.
For 65 minutes the match was tightly contested, Senegal's disciplined 4-2-3-1 keeping France's considerable attacking machinery at arm's length. The Lions of Teranga were not merely containing; they pressed where they could, and Edouard Mendy finished the evening with five saves, a figure that captures how persistently France tested the angles. Senegal's expected goals number of 0.50 tells its own story: Sadio Mané drifted without the service his talent warranted, and Nicolas Jackson found no purchase against a French back four that gave very little away.
What changed the match was Michael Olise. The creative engine of France's right side, Olise had been probing throughout, and on 66 minutes he provided the assist that finally opened the door. Mbappé converted, and the relief around the stadium was palpable. France had 54 per cent of the ball and 569 passes completed at 88 per cent; they deserved the lead but had been made to earn it.
Senegal did not fold immediately. Bouna Thiaw Pape's side kept their shape and sought a way back. Two minutes before the end, Ibrahim Mbaye, on for only a matter of minutes, pulled one back after Iliman Ndiaye supplied the assist, and for a fleeting moment Group I's opening fixture had a storyline. It lasted approximately 60 seconds. Mbappé struck again at 90+6, finishing the game as he had opened it, and Senegal's consolation became a footnote.
The numbers behind France's performance were convincing. Eight shots on target, seven attempts from inside the box, six corners: sustained territorial dominance from a team that clearly had gears in reserve. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot screened and recycled effectively in the double pivot, with Rabiot's assist for Barcola's goal, the third, underlining his contribution in the second half. Barcola himself came on in the 80th minute and scored two minutes later, which is the sort of cameo that complicates selection decisions in flattering ways.
Upamecano was France's best defender on the night, composed on the ball and dominant in the air whenever Senegal managed to threaten the box. Saliba alongside him was tidy and reliable. Theo Hernández offered width on the left without being reckless defensively, and Koundé mirrored that on the right. France committed only five fouls across the entire match. That figure, against a Senegal side who themselves conceded nine, suggests Deschamps' team controlled the tempo rather than simply the ball.
For Senegal, Pape Gueye and Idrissa Gana Gueye worked hard in midfield without being able to disrupt France's build-up play in any sustained way. Krépin Diatta was Senegal's most willing attacker from deep, but the Lions simply lacked the cutting edge that might have made France's evening uncomfortable earlier on. Koulibaly, the veteran centre-half, had a difficult night against France's movement, and the side's expected goals tally of 0.50 reflects how rarely they manufactured genuine danger.
France will face Iraq and Norway next, knowing they have the firepower to hurt anyone in this group and the defensive organisation to absorb pressure when required. Mbappé's double is the headline, but the platform Olise, Rabiot, and Tchouaméni built beneath it was the real story of the night in East Rutherford.