France opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium, though the scoreline masked a tighter contest. Edouard Mendy's brilliant saves kept Senegal competitive, while Ismaïla Sarr and Nicolas Jackson squandered clear chances. Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock at 66' before Bradley Barcola doubled the lead. Ibrahim Mbaye's late consolation was immediately answered by Mbappé's second.
Player Ratings
France
Player Name | Rating | Description |
Mike Maignan | 6.4 | Comfortable save from Mané; fortunate as Jackson's shot struck post then deflected off his foot and out. |
Jules Koundé | 6.7 | Steady at right-back with decent build-up play; crosses lacked precision but defensively solid throughout. |
William Saliba | 7.2 | Composed at centre-back; crucial sliding interception denied Sarr and won aerial duels cleanly throughout. |
Dayot Upamecano | 7.8 | Dominant defensively; blocked Sarr's early shot and repeatedly won aerial duels against Jackson throughout. |
Theo Hernández | 6.3 | Active in attack on the left but beaten by Mbaye's dribble for Senegal's late consolation. |
Aurélien Tchouaméni | 7.0 | Anchored midfield effectively; crucial ball recovery initiated the move leading to Barcola's decisive second goal. |
Adrien Rabiot | 7.4 | Threaded a quality through ball to assist Barcola's goal; composed in possession and solid defensively. |
Michael Olise | 8.4 | Outstanding creative display; assisted both Mbappé goals and created a big chance denied by Mendy. |
Ousmane Dembélé | 6.8 | Struggled to impose himself centrally; 19th-minute shot blocked and lacked cutting edge before substitution. |
Désiré Doué | 7.0 | Showed attacking intent from the left; shot wide at 47' then forced Mendy save at 74'. |
Kylian Mbappé | 8.1 | Scored twice to seal victory despite poor first half; clinical finishes at 66' and 90+6'. |
Bradley Barcola | 7.8 | Instant impact off the bench; scored two minutes after entering with composed chip over Mendy. |
Rayan Cherki | 6.4 | Late cameo at 87' with limited time; made some touches without notable impact on proceedings. |
Senegal
Player Name | Rating | Description |
Edouard Mendy | 8.0 | Outstanding display; exceptional saves denied Olise and Mbappé in quick succession, kept Senegal competitive throughout. |
Krépin Diatta | 6.6 | Steady at right-back; through ball found Jackson for disallowed goal and circulated possession reliably. |
Kalidou Koulibaly | 6.1 | Struggled against France's pace; beaten by Olise for the big chance and by Barcola for the second goal. |
Moussa Niakhaté | 6.8 | Solid centrally; won headers, made clearances, and combined with Koulibaly to block Hernández's shot. |
El Hadji Malick Diouf | 7.3 | Effective two-way display at left-back; tackled Mbappé twice and initiated Jackson's chance that hit the post. |
Idrissa Gueye | 6.9 | Experienced midfield presence; distributed well, made a clean tackle on Mbappé, and screened the defence. |
Pape Gueye | 6.7 | Decent passing range from midfield; delivered a well-weighted long pass to find Sarr in space. |
Lamine Camara | 6.6 | Industrious in midfield; threaded dangerous through ball for Sarr that Saliba intercepted with sliding tackle. |
Ismaïla Sarr | 5.6 | Frustrating afternoon; missed glaring close-range chance at end of first half and failed to convert opportunities. |
Sadio Mané | 6.8 | Creative from the left; weak shot saved by Maignan but provided cutback for Sarr's big chance. |
Nicolas Jackson | 6.2 | Mixed display leading the line; struck post at 26' but blazed over unmarked at 80'. |
Ibrahim Mbaye | 7.5 | Excellent impact off the bench; beat Hernández with skillful dribble and scored the consolation at 90+5'. |
Habib Diarra | 6.6 | Solid off the bench; won physical duel against Upamecano and drew a foul from Mbappé. |
Bamba Dieng | 6.2 | Late substitute at 83' with minimal impact; first involvement saw Saliba easily dispossess him. |
Iliman Ndiaye | 7.0 | Positive cameo from 83'; provided the assist for Mbaye's consolation goal with composed final-third pass. |
Pathé Ciss | 6.2 | Entered at 88' with minimal time; made passing contributions but had insufficient involvement to impact. |
