Kylian Mbappé walked off the pitch at the New York New Jersey Stadium having scored twice, become France’s all-time leading scorer with his 58th goal, and moved to third in the World Cup all-time scoring charts behind only Ronaldo Nazario and Miroslav Klose. Yet it was Michael Olise who topped BBC Sport’s user ratings, scoring 8.01 out of 10 to Mbappé’s 7.27.
Olise was moved from the right wing to a central position in the second half, a tactical switch that proved decisive. He provided the assist for Mbappé’s opener in a 3-1 victory, unlocking the Senegal defence with a superb pass. “By readjusting Olise’s position to a more central one and closer to Mbappé, we can see the good understanding that they can have,” former France forward Olivier Giroud told BBC One. “The freedom Olise can have in that position playing higher up the pitch, and Dembele can do the job on the side one v one, so Deschamps has a lot of options.”
“Michael Olise topped BBC Sport's player ratings despite Kylian Mbappé scoring twice to become France's all-time top scorer.”
Didier Deschamps denied giving his team a dressing-down after a spluttering first half but admitted to “speaking my mind”. He said the key change was positional, with Olise moving centrally to influence play. “I thought it would give us more connection. The more Michael touches the ball the better it is,” Deschamps said. “It created more danger.”
Senegal should likely have held the lead at half-time, with Mike Maignan saving well from Sadio Mané and avoiding an own goal after the ball deflected off his heel. But after Mbappé tucked away Olise’s pass just after the hour, the match became a procession. Senegal pulled one back through Ibrahim Mbaye in added time, but Mbappé immediately responded, crashing his second past Édouard Mendy in chaotic stoppage time to secure the win and break Olivier Giroud’s record.
Deschamps described Mbappé as “ruthlessly efficient”, adding: “If you want to miss the first half again and score two in the second half, that’s OK with me.” The 27-year-old captain was not immune from the mistakes that characterised the first half, but his double ensured France began their World Cup campaign ominously. Olise, meanwhile, now has 10 goal involvements in just 18 appearances for France, and with Bradley Barcola also scoring 7.99 in the ratings, Deschamps has plenty of attacking options.