Online Reporter
FRANCE head coach Didier Deschamps insists they will show Senegal the proper respect in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey today.
Kick-off is at 9pm.
Les Bleus were stunned in their opening match of the 2002 edition as defending champions after suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Lions of Teranga, who were making their debut at the global show-piece.
The 2022 runners-up have learned their lesson and will be wary of the threat posed by Pape Thiaw’s side on this occasion, with the West Africans winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before being unfairly stripped of their title by the Confederation of African Football.
France are looking to give Deschamps the perfect send-off as the 57-year-old will step down from his role after the tournament, which he has won both as a player (1998) and a manager (2018).
Deschamps’ side went unbeaten in qualifying, recording five wins and one draw, while they beat Brazil (2-1), Colombia (3-1) and Northern Ireland (3-1) this year, although an experimental team lost 2-1 to Cote d’lvoire on June 4.
Senegal have won two of their three opening games at the World Cup, running out 2-1 victors over Poland in 2018 before slipping to a 2-0 defeat against the Netherlands in 2022.
The 2021 AFCON champions picked up wins against Peru (2-0) and Gambia (3-1) in March, but were then beaten 3-2 by the United States on May 31 before finalising their preparations with a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia.
Speaking ahead of today’s match France head coach Didier Deschamps said: “Every World Cup has its own story and we need to make sure this one is as beautiful as possible. Of course, as France we have a status and there is a lot of expectation around us.
“But we need to show respect and humility from the beginning. Before thinking about what is at the top of the mountain, we will need to work our way up gradually and the first steps are difficult.”
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw said: “We are facing one of the strongest teams in world football, a side with tremendous quality and experience. But we also have our own strengths and we will do everything possible to be ready for that challenge.”
Players to watch:
France: Kylian Mbappe was one of the stars at the 2022 World Cup and propelled his team to the final, scoring a hat-trick against Argentina to claim the Golden Boot with eight goals. The 27-year-old striker is expected to play an integral role for Les Bleus again in North America after finding the back of the net five times in qualifying.
Senegal: This is likely to be Sadio Mane’s final appearance on the world’s biggest stage after representing his country at the last two tournaments in Russia and Qatar.
The 34-year-old winger scored three goals in qualifying and bagged a brace against US a fortnight ago. He remains a key member of the team and will be remembered for his sporting gesture against Morocco in the 2025 AFCON final.
Meanwhile, Manchester United Amad Diallo struck in the 90th minute as Cote d’lvoire stunned Ecuador and their huge support to edge a tight affair 1-0 in their FIFA World Cup opener on Sunday.
The Group E encounter had looked set to finish 0-0, hardly a surprise given Ecuador’s incredible defensive record during qualifying, and that result may well have suited both teams.
But the 23-year-old Diallo, who had been introduced in place of Bazoumana Toure shortly before the hour mark, had other ideas as he finished first-time from a right-wing cross right just as the game was heading for injury-time.
It is Cote d’lvoire’s first win at a World Cup in exactly 12 years, since they beat Japan in Brazil in 2014, and they can now be confident of making the knock-out phase at the tournament for the first time.
It was a disappointing way to start for Ecuador, who had the majority of the 68,274 crowd at the packed Philadelphia stadium kitted out in yellow and backing them.
They hit the bar twice in the first-half, through John Yeboah and Alan Minda, while Elye Wahi struck the same crossbar for the Ivorians after half-time.
Cote d’lvoire, African champions in 2024, will now hope to build on this when they play Germany in their next game in Group E in Toronto on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Cape Verde held Spain to a goalless draw last night. — AFP Sport.
