East Rutherford (United States) (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps toasted “extraordinary” Kylian Mbappe after the France captain scored twice in the team’s opening game at the World Cup on Tuesday to become his country’s all-time top marksman.
“There are still people out there who will criticise him but he is an extraordinary player. Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment,” Deschamps said of the Real Madrid superstar. Mbappe gave France the lead midway through the second half of a tough test against Senegal at the MetLife Stadium and wrapped up the 3-1 victory late on. In between, Bradley Barcola got France’s second goal and Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal in the Group I encounter.
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“As captain, he does a lot for the squad on and off the field even if some people think he is selfish,” said Deschamps of Mbappe, who overtook Olivier Giroud to become France’s leading scorer with 58 goals from 99 caps. “I am really pleased for him. He didn’t score in the warm-up friendly games but to break the record at the World Cup gives it more impact.”
France were not convincing in the first half and were lucky not to go behind, but they ran away with the game after the break as their outstanding attacking arsenal came to the fore. Deschamps had been extremely wary of their opening opponents and of overconfidence in his squad, but France will now be optimistic of advancing to the next round ahead of games against Iraq and Norway.
“It was good to win our first match against a very good Senegal team,” added Deschamps, who saw Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise star after moving from the right wing into the middle in the second half. “We had some difficulties, we were wasteful at times too, but with a bit more precision we could have created more chances,” he said of the first half. “The second half was much better after we moved Michael Olise into the middle, which tied everything together. The way he took the ball and his passing ability helped us find the strikers. The more he touches the ball, the better we are.”
“I am really satisfied to win the first match because the way our group is set up made that very important.” France, World Cup winners in 1998 and 2018, next play Iraq in Philadelphia on Monday.
© 2024 AFP
