Lions of Teranga's brave heart can't suppress the magic! Senegal shine, but Olise and Mbappe are out of this world

Don't let the final score fool you - Senegal have all the reasons to be proud of their World Cup opener despite a 3-1 loss to France on Tuesday night at New Jersey Metlife Stadium.

Not only did the Lions of Teranga represent their country with pride and dignity, but Pape Thiaw's men were actually close to upsetting the two-time world champions.

However, if you create three clear-cut chances against Les Bleus' dream team and fail to break the deadlock, expect a cold-hearted punishment!

And that's exactly what Didier Deschamps' side served them on a plate in the second half of this super-exciting battle on the wings of France's mesmerising attacking duo, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe, decisively pushing his national team to a win with a stunning brace.

Still, the opening half was the complete opposite of that brutal and flawless domination of the European giants, as the 2025 AFCON winners showed absolutely no signs of being intimidated by one of the most star-studded sides in recent World Cup history. On the contrary, Senegal were the ones to control the rhythm, tempo, and setup on the pitch, reducing space and chances for the favourites to impose their football philosophy.

The Lions of Teranga had been great - aggressive, sticking to their defensive low block and shape, waiting for their opportunities from counterattacks, winning most of the duels and the sympathy of millions of neutral fans.

Krepin Diatta was the anchor man of this nicely-led side, simultaneously getting down in the trenches to stop Desire Doue and his teammates, while playing some fine one-twos and creating space for other Senegalese players on the other end.

'What if' will probably haunt Chelsea's striker, Nicolas Jackson and many of his compatriots for many years, following a chance he had midway through the first half.

El Hadji Malick Diouf's perfect tackle on Mbappe kickstarted a counter which saw Jackson flying on the right wing. His clever touch left Upamecano behind, but the only thing Jackson lacked was - luck. His effort ended on the near post, bounced off and deflected off Mike Maignan away from goal.

Ismaila Sarr joined Jackson with another promising chance, Maignan had very small odds to save that close-range effort, but it went wide.

Deschamps' army seemed distracted, out of their areas, with Ousmane Dembele and Doue completely isolated from the rest of the team, as Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni struggled as two holding midfielders in this somewhat strange 4-2-4 formation. A single shot on target for more than 45 minutes perfectly encapsulates how good and solid the Lions of Teranga were for quite some time.

Unfortunately, every football game lasts 90+ minutes, and that second period was as one-sided as it gets.

Doue's mid-range shot past Edouard Mendy was just a prelude of what was about to unfold as soon as Olise and Mbappe started their immaculate dance between Senegal's defenders.

Many of us were maybe dreaming of a remake of that 2002 WC upset, but the motion picture we saw in the last half an hour was completely in favour of - France. Olise's sensational assist made it almost impossible for Mbappe to miss it from inside the area, and the Real Madrid striker found the back of the net to shift the game's momentum instantly.

Sadio Mane and his fellow warriors did their best to bounce back, but it was blatantly clear this was a whole different ball game at that point. There was no turning back. Deschamps made his first substitutions and Bradley Barcola made sure to prove it was worth it - he came on for Dembele in the 80th minute, and scored just two minutes later to make it 2-0 with a lovely chip.

Interestingly, Ibrahim Mbaye of PSG became the youngest African and Senegalese to score in World Cup history at 18 years and 142 days to make it 2-1, but it lasted for only a few seconds. Mbappe nailed another one, a spectacular long-range missile, to prove his outstanding quality. The French party has started, and it seems that it could last until the very end of the tournament.

WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE

Monday, 15.06.

Ivory Coast - Ecuador 1-0 (0-0)

/Diallo 90/

Sweden - Tunisia 5-1 (2-1)

/Ayari 7, 90+6, Isak 30, Gyokeres , Svanberg 84 - Rekik 43/

Spain - Cabo Verde 0-0

Belgium - Egypt 1-1 (0-1)

/Hany 66 og - Ashour 20/

Tuesday 16.06.

Saudi Arabia- Uruguay 1-1 (1-0)

/Amri 41 - Araujo 80/

Iran - New Zealand 2-2 (1-1)

/Ramin 33,Mohebi, 64- Just, 7,54/

France - Senegal 3-1 (0-0)

/Mbappe 66,90+6 Barcola 82 - Mbaye 90+5/

Wednesday

01.00: (12.0) Iraq (6.50) Norway (1.27)

04.00: (1.47) Argentina (4.60) Algeria (8.10)

07.00: (1.40) Austria (5.00) Jordan (9.00)

20.00: (1.30) Portugal (5.20) Dr Congo (11.0)

23.00: (1.75) England (3.90) Croatia (5.00)

Thursday

02.00: (2.25) Ghana (3.20) Panama (3.40)

05.00: (8.50) Uzbekistan (4.50) Colombia (1.42)

19.00: (1.80) Czech R. (3.50) S.Africa (4.70)

22.00: (1.65) Switzerland (3.60) B&H (5.80)

***odds are subject to change***