France defeats Senegal 3-1 in World Cup opener
via SeneNews3 min read
France secured a 3-1 victory over Senegal in a World Cup match that saw a tightly contested first half, a surge in French intensity after the break, and a spectacular finish in stoppage time. Senegal, organized in a 4-3-3 formation with Kalidou Koulibaly in defense and Édouard Mendy in goal, aimed to disrupt French play with high pressing and quick transitions involving Ismaïla Sarr and Nicolas Jackson. France, playing in a 4-2-3-1 with Mike Maignan in goal and an attacking lineup featuring Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Kylian Mbappé, struggled to find precision in the first half. The first period was largely locked, with few clear chances. Sadio Mané created a dangerous cross in stoppage time, but Ismaïla Sarr missed the follow-up, ending the half scoreless. After the break, France adopted a more offensive approach. Désiré Doué's shot narrowly missed in the 47th minute, and Édouard Mendy made crucial saves against Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé. The turning point came in the 66th minute when Michael Olise assisted Kylian Mbappé, who opened the scoring. Senegal had a goal by Nicolas Jackson disallowed for offside. Mbappé equaled Olivier Giroud's record of 57 national team goals. In the 82nd minute, Bradley Barcola extended France's lead to 2-0. In a dramatic finish, Ibrahim Mbaye scored for Senegal in the 90+5 minute, but Mbappé immediately responded with his second goal in the 90+6 minute, assisted again by Olise, sealing France's 3-1 victory. France's wi
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
Following Senegal's 3-1 defeat to France on the opening day of the 2026 World Cup, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye issued a message of encouragement to the Lions of Teranga. In a social media post, the head of state acknowledged the Senegalese players' commitment despite the loss. President Faye stated, "Our Lions lost to France in their World Cup debut, after a hard-fought match where they never stopped believing." He urged Senegalese citizens to continue supporting the national team, emphasizing that a World Cup is a long-term competition. "A World Cup is played over time, and this group has the resources to bounce back. The Nation remains fully by your side," he added. The head of state concluded by calling on the Lions to maintain their determination for the rest of the competition, saying, "On to the next match, with the same desire and the same faith. Go Lions!" Senegal must now focus on their upcoming match with the goal of re-entering the race for qualification to the second round.
Senegal's captain, Kalidou Koulibaly, spoke to RTS1 after their 3-1 defeat to France in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup Group I. Koulibaly acknowledged his team's strong first-half performance, noting they created difficulties for France but lacked efficiency in front of goal. He stated, "We had a great first half. We put them in a bit of difficulty. It's a shame we didn't score from the chances we had." The defender attributed the difference in the second half to France capitalizing on Senegal's errors, explaining, "During the second half, the difference was made on the few chances they had. They shot three times on goal from our team's turnovers." Despite scoring to reduce the deficit, Senegal conceded a third goal, making a comeback difficult. Koulibaly expressed disappointment but urged the team to regroup quickly for their next match, saying, "It's a shame today, we lost this first match. We will quickly regroup for the second match."
SeneNews TV presented reactions from Senegalese supporters following their team's defeat against France on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. This match was part of the group stages of the 2026 World Cup. The article also references other related content, including Senegal's initial loss to France in the tournament, an incident involving Argentinian and Algerian fans in New York with a Senegalese supporter intervening, and an immersion into the Lions' locker room before the match against France.