Barcola strikes off bench as ex-Lyon players begin 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Bradley Barcola came off the bench to score France's second in a 3-1 win over Senegal at the 2026 World Cup.

Le Progres notes that none of the three former Lyon players in France's squad started, but Barcola made a telling cameo.

Two minutes after replacing Ousmane Dembélé, he struck in the 84th minute with his first involvement, accelerating onto Adrien Rabiot's pass and coolly beating Mendy with a dink. This came after Mendy had already twice foiled Olise and Mbappé in one-on-ones.

The cameo should reinforce his status as an impact substitute, and could even open a door for the next match against Iraq.

Malo Gusto stayed on the bench, while Rayan Cherki came on late for Doué without making much of his few touches.

For Senegal, Moussa Niakhaté endured a mixed evening. He was strong in duels and tidy in the first half, then he and Kalidou Koulibaly were undone by France's pace and movement.

In the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, current Lyon defender Nicolas Tagliafico watched from the bench as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0, with Leo Messi hitting a hat-trick.

Ernest Nuamah is due to begin his tournament for Ghana against Panama at 1am, overnight Wednesday to Thursday.

Source: Le Progres