France took their time to take control of their World Cup match against Senegal but eventually ran out 3-1 winners at MetLife Stadium.
The two-time World Cup winners had been made outright favourites to win the tournament yesterday. Spain’s poor 0-0 draw with Cape Verde was enough to convince the bookmakers that France should be out on their own at the top of the market.
Based on their first half showing, it looked as though France might fall to a similar fate to Spain.. But the second half saw Les Bleus flex their muscles, taking control to reaffirm their position as the side to beat.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Michael Olise’s positional shift
The first half would’ve been a hard watch for France fans. They had one shot, a blocked effort from Ousmane Dembele that registered just 0.02xG. They were second best to Senegal for much of the half and were lucky not to go into the break 1-0 down after Nicolas Jackson’s effort struck the post.
France’s shape in the first half saw Didier Deschamps pack the deeper central areas. This was supposed to allow the full backs to get up the pitch and provide the width. It didn’t have the desired effect, with Senegal able to exploit the space left behind and create chances.
The positioning of Michael Olise was especially eye-catching in the first half. He dropped deep, and central, often occupying positions just in front of Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba. It stunted his ability to impact the game and Kylian Mbappe was often left isolated as a result.
France’s average positions in the first half vs Senegal
The second half saw a real shift, though. Both in position and fortune. Olise was given the freedom to get forward and central. His average position was almost alongside Dembele in the number 10 position and the results were almost immediate.
Olise was able to create four chances in the second half. Two of them were classed as big chances and one provided the assist for Mbappe’s first goal — more on that later.
The impact his positional shift didn’t just improve his own play but that of the players around him.
France had 10 shots in the second 45 minutes, eight of them on target and looked a different animal. Mbappe, given the additional support centrally, was able to stretch the Senegalese defence and the results were plain to see.
Much of the talk coming into this tournament was of the potential of a Mbappe-Dembele-Olise attack. Based on that second-half performance the other 47 nations in North America should be very quaking in their boots at the sight of that attacking trio.
France’s average positions in the second half vs Senegal
Mbappe’s record breaking goal
Everyone knew coming into the game that Mbappe was on the verge of breaking a number of records. An hour into the game and it didn’t look as though there would need to be any rewriting of the history books quite yet.
That all changed on the 66th minute, however. The 27-year-old found the net and, in doing so, equalled two record. He drew level with Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time record goalscorer on 57 goals. At the same time, he equalled Just Fontaine’s record of most goals at the World Cup by a Frenchman, with 13 goals each.
It looked as though Mbappe would just be celebrating equalling some records in New Jersey but the Real Madrid frontman had other ideas. Picking the ball up 30 yards from goal, he fired past Edouard Mendy, finding the top corner in stunning fashion.
It was a fitting goal to break both of those records that he had earlier equalled. It will surely be just a matter of time this summer until he claims the title of all-time record goalscorer at the World Cup. He now sits just two goals shy of Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals.
The difference that sets France apart from Spain
Most people tipped France and Spain as champions this summer, but a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Cape Verde put La Roja’s credentials under the microscope.
Spain struggled to break down Cape Verde’s low block and struggled to create. France had a similar problem in the first half against Senegal. Perhaps this was more of their own making rather than their opponents, though. Senegal were much more expansive than Cape Verde but France struggled with their own system.
That changed in the second-half, partly with the positional change we detailed above but also with a change in tactic. France stopped moving the ball from side to side and, instead concentrated on looking forward. They tried to play through balls to stretch the Senegal defence and create space, probing at the Senegal back four.
It worked perfectly as you can see below. Both of the first two French goals came from expertly played through balls. Firstly by Olise and then by Adrien Rabiot to find Bradley Barcola’s fantastic run.
France attempted eight through balls that led to shots in the second half, including the two goals, and it was a clear shift in tactic, highlighting Deschamps ability to adapt to match conditions.
This adaptability not only allowed France to wrestle control from a game they were struggling in but also set them apart from their biggest rivals in the tournament. Could their ability to switch their shape and style lead them to their third World Cup?
France shot assist map vs Senegal
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