Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise ignite France in 3-1 win over Senegal | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé’s brace and a Michael Olise assist powered a second half surge as France beat Senegal 3-1 in their World Cup group opener on Tuesday.

France were flat before the interval, with Nicolas Jackson striking the post on 25 and Ismaïla Sarr blazing over in added time. After the restart Edouard Mendy denied Olise on 53 and Mbappé on 57, then Mbappé finished from Olise’s pass on 66. L'Équipe notes that moving Olise into a central role unlocked France.

Jackson’s effort on 68 was ruled offside. Bradley Barcola struck on 82 from Adrien Rabiot’s superb pass, Mbaye replied on 90+5, and Mbappé’s 25 metre drive on 90+6 settled it.

Dayot Upamecano dominated at the back and William Saliba stayed assured despite back pain. Jules Koundé recovered after a shaky start. Theo Hernandez disappointed and Mike Maignan’s distribution and handling were unconvincing.

For Senegal, Krépin Diatta was robust and El Hadji Malick Diouf impressed early, but Kalidou Koulibaly struggled as France accelerated. Idrissa Gueye and Pape Gueye faded when the tempo rose. Didier Deschamps’ decision to introduce Barcola proved decisive.

Source: L'Équipe