India, June 17 -- France opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal, but the scoreline told only half the story of a match that demanded patience, nerve and a late assertion of class from Didier Deschamps' side.

For almost an hour, Senegal made France uncomfortable. They were organised without the ball, brave in transition and sharp enough to remind the former world champions of another painful World Cup memory from 2002. Nicolas Jackson struck the base of the post in the first half, Ismaila Sarr found space in dangerous areas, and Sadio Mane repeatedly tried to stretch the French defence with direct running and clever movement. At half-time, with the match still goalless, Senegal had done enough to suggest tha...