Form Restored! Mbappé's Brilliance and Olise's Masterclass Lead France Past Senegal in World Cup Opener

Following an unsatisfactory string of slow and disappointing games before the tournament started, the red flags had been raised quietly for Les Bleus. But when it came to playing under bright lights at the FIFA 2026 World Cup, France came out with flying colors. In a highly anticipated Group I match, France returned to their fearsome self, registering a resounding 3-1 win against Senegal.

Since the very first whistle of the match, it was obvious that the French attack had been refreshed, having got rid of the rust caused by the previous friendly matches. There was one player who stood out in the game and demonstrated an outstanding performance worthy of being the MVP – Michael Olise, who played freely, cutting the Senegalese midfield and providing the forwards with excellent passes.

The beneficiary of this masterful play of Olise became Kylian Mbappe, who showed himself in his role of a leader as well as a goalscorer, grabbing a fantastic double. Due to his lightning speed, Mbappe gave the Senegalese defenders hell and showed that he really belongs to the league of the world-class players.

Apart from that, the scoreline was increased thanks to Bradley Barcola who finished brilliantly. In general, with the help of Ousmane Dembele, who was constantly creating trouble with his wide and clever dribbling, and Desiré O Doue who brought energy, the French attackers were too strong for 90 minutes.

Despite being heavily outnumbered, Senegal did not cave in. The seasoned Sadio Mane led his team as they endeavored to make a strong comeback. Fortunately for them, the efforts came to fruition as young Amara Mbaye scored, bringing happiness to their fans by scoring a consolation goal.

But then, one score was never going to make any significant impact in the entire match between France and Senegal. France’s defense made sure that nothing more happened after that score.

Sportscape feels that France’s overwhelming 3-1 win has certainly left a very strong and chilling warning to the other teams in the FIFA tournament that all their initial setbacks were just for show and that their main aim is world domination.