One of the tournament’s absolute favorites, France, is set to kick off their Group I campaign tonight at 1:00 AM (Bangladesh time) against a formidable Senegal side in New Jersey. While the star-studded French squad enters the pitch as clear favorites, the high-voltage clash carries the heavy emotional baggage of the 2002 World Cup, where the “Lions of Teranga” stunned the footballing world by defeating the then-defending champions 1–0 in a historic opening match. In a fascinating twist of fate, Senegal’s current head coach, Malick Thiaw, was on the bench as an unused substitute during that legendary match, which remains one of French football’s most haunting memories. Now, 24 years after that historic tournament, France manager Didier Deschamps is preparing for his final World Cup campaign, aiming to bow out on a high note by replicating his 1998 success as a player. Despite a recent 2–1 friendly slip-up against Ivory Coast, Les Bleus bounced back quickly with a 3–1 win over Northern Ireland, maintaining an impressive record of scoring at least two goals in nine of their last ten matches.
France’s primary weapon remains their terrifying frontline, spearheaded by captain Kylian Mbappé, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and Bayern Munich’s breakout star Michael Olise, who comes off a sensational club season with 22 goals and 31 assists. However, an undefeated Senegal side entering their third consecutive World Cup possesses more than enough firepower to upset the French defense once again. Led by their all-time top scorer Sadio Mané—who racked up 23 goal contributions for Saudi champions Al-Nassr last season—alongside Crystal Palace’s in-form winger Ismaïla Sarr and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, the African giants are fully confident of breaking French hearts and rewriting history in New Jersey tonight.
