Mbappe’s Second Half Dominance Leads France Over Senegal
- Philip Fox
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Credit Opta Analyst
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
2022 World Cup runners-up France start their campaign against Senegal, who are currently ranked 15th in the FIFA rankings. The last time these two teams met was in the 2002 World Cup, where Senegal beat the defending champions one-nil.
Les Bleus started the game in a 4-2-3-1, captained by 2022’s Golden Boot winner, Kylian Mbappé. Attacking midfielders include Michael Olise on the right wing, Ousmane Dembélé in the middle, and Désiré Doué on the left wing. The defensive midfield duo is Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni. The backline includes Theo Hernández, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Jules Koundé. France's last line of defense is goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Managed by Didier Deschamps, the 57-year-old announced that this will be his last season in charge of France after 14 years at the helm.
Les Lions de la Téranga started in a 4-3-3 formation. Starting in attack are Sadio Mané on the left wing, Nicolas Jackson in the striker position, and Ismaïla Sarr on the right wing. In the midfield, Pape Gueye at left center midfield, Idrissa Gana Gueye at center midfield, and Lamine Camara at the right center midfield. On defense, Senegal has Malick Diouf at left back, Moussa Niakhaté and captain Kalidou Koulibaly at center back, and Krépin Diatta at right back. Pape Thiaw is managing Senegal and has been in charge for the last year and a half.
The first half started hard and fast with both teams making physical statements throughout. Referee Alireza Faghani seemed to be okay with it, though. While France had the majority of possession at 56%, Senegal had the majority of shots, taking five shots compared to France's one, but only one of those shots was on target.
France seemed to be okay with holding the ball and passing it around the back until they find an opening. At the same time, Senegal worked hard to pressure the French into mistakes, including a major mishap of a touch by Mbappe, which almost led to a Senegal goal on the other side of the field. In the second half, both teams need to maintain the pressure to create more offensive chances. Senegal went into the locker room proud of their counter-attacking work, but wanted to make sure that their attacks count at the end. France would be proud of their possession, but it didn’t mean much when there were no goals at the end of the day.
The second half started with a bang, and France started shooting every chance they got. The high-pressure offense finally paid off for France, as Mbappe cut in through the right side of the center of the box and slot in a goal to the left side netting, right past the goalkeeper.
Senegal came right back 2 minutes later to score the equalizer, but the attacker was called offside. What was once a jubilee for the Senegal fans in New York and New Jersey fell back down just as quickly as it had risen. This game is definitely a tale of two halves: France came in thinking they would dominate and get comfortable, then came back out in the second half, realizing Senegal is nothing to laugh at.
In the 82nd minute, Barcola cut from the left side to the center of the box and popped a little chip over the goalkeeper to double Les Bleus' lead.
In the 94th minute, France was okay with holding the ball and taking it to the corner, but Senegal wasn't going to go out quietly. Mbaye weaved his way through the French defense and rocked the net. But, just like the first half, the cheers that Senegal sang out were quickly silenced by Captain Mbappe with an absolute screamer from well outside the box. Mbappe’s 30-yard howler set him alone at the top of France's all-time scores list at 58 goals. That goal ended the match at 3-1.
Though the game seemed dominated by France, it was a tale of two halves. Senegal held their own for the first half of the game, then sputtered as the second half began. France showed their class and determination to prove there is an argument for why they should be in the finals for a third World Cup in a row. France ended the game with 11 shots, 8 of them on target, and 54% possession. Senegal finished with 6 shots total, with only 2 of them on target and 46% possession. France ended the day second in the group, behind Norway on goal differential, but in a great position to top the standings by the end.
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