France Weather Senegal Storm to Open Campaign in New Jersey

There was little of the procession some had forecast at MetLife Stadium, where France required patience as much as polish to begin their World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Senegal. The favourites carried the greater menace from the outset, but they were made to earn every yard against opponents who arrived in East Rutherford with no intention of deferring to reputation.

Senegal's resistance held for long stretches, their midfield pressing high and their defensive line holding a brave shape. Yet France's superior depth in the final third proved the difference. Each time the match threatened to slip into the kind of attrition that suits the underdog, the favourites found a moment of clarity to restore their advantage and steady themselves.

Senegal did not fade quietly. Their goal, the product of sustained pressure rather than a single flourish, briefly narrowed the margin and lent the closing exchanges genuine tension. For a spell the contest hung on a knife edge, the African side sensing that a tiring France might be drawn into errors. But the response came, decisive and well taken, and the scoreline was settled before the final whistle.

Three points and a measure of reassurance, then, for a France team that looked far from its finished article. The performance carried warnings as much as encouragement, and the coaching staff will have noted the spells in which control slipped from their grasp. Senegal, for their part, depart with credit and a sense that better days lie ahead in this group.