France: Didier Deschamps, the master of opening matches

16.06.26 FT World Cup

France

3

:

Senegal

1

The French national team kicked off their World Cup campaign in style, outclassing Senegal with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

This win marks the seventh time Les Bleus have triumphed in the opening game of a major tournament—World Cup or Euro—under Didier Deschamps. The former French captain has established himself as a true specialist in this high-stakes scenario.

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At the helm since July 2012, Didier Deschamps is now leading Les Bleus into their seventh major tournament, and he’s made a habit of setting the tone right from the start.

At the 2014 World Cup, the Tricolores cruised past Honduras (3-0). The trend continued at Euro 2016 with a narrow win over Romania (2-1).

Two years later, France avoided an early upset against Australia (2-1) in their 2018 World Cup opener in Russia. The same scenario played out at Euro 2021, where they edged past Germany (1-0) in a gritty contest.

In Qatar 2022, Kylian Mbappé and his teammates dismantled Australia (4-1). This year, they also took down Austria (1-0) in the opening match of Euro 2024.

The victory over the Lions of Teranga is therefore France’s seventh consecutive opening-game win—a flawless record for Didier Deschamps, setting a promising tone for the rest of the tournament.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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