Group I of the World Cup final tournament kicks off on Tuesday evening with a treat, the historical echo of which stretches back more than two decades.
Sadio Mané leads Senegal into France. PDO
The most interesting game of the day
The opening match of the 2002 World Cup changed the history of African football forever. Senegal, who made their World Cup debut at the time, defeated reigning world champions France 1–0 in a match that is still considered one of the biggest surprises in the tournament’s history. Papa Bouba Diop the goal not only started Senegal’s fairytale journey all the way to the quarter-finals, but also provided African football as a whole with one of its most significant moments.
Twenty-four years later, the two countries will meet again in the final tournament of the World Cup. This time, however, the setting is completely different. In 2002, Senegal was an unknown challenger that shocked the football world. Now it enters the tournament as one of the strongest countries in Africa. France is the big favorite of the group and the entire tournament, but a possible surprise victory by Senegal would no longer belong to the same category as the miracle in Seoul.
More attacking France than in years
Didier Deschamps piloted by France, it is traditionally used to combine strict control, balance and pragmatism typical of tournament football. This summer’s version From Les Bleus however, looks exceptionally electric.
Kylian Mbappé an offensive line-up built around it, the depth of which is second to none. Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Ryan Cherki provide Deschamps with pieces of the tactical puzzle that most head coaches can only dream of. Even more significant is the fact that France’s attacking game is no longer dependent on one star – the material can withstand injuries without a significant drop in the attacking end.
Michael Olise is a particularly interesting person to watch. The Bayern Munich winger has emerged as one of Europe’s most powerful players, but his importance to France goes beyond goals and assists. Olise is comfortable in a withdrawn role and with his selection of passes is able to open spaces for Mbappé and Dembélé. Many eyes are still focused on Mbappé, but during the Games it is Olise who may emerge as the most important engine of the French attack.
The stakes of the tournament are exceptionally high for France and its head coach, also from a historical perspective. France has a rare chance of reaching its third consecutive World Cup final – a trick that only Germany and Brazil have been able to do in the Games before. At the same time, Didier Deschamps is chasing the top of the all-time coaching statistics: he has 14 World Cup victories on his account, i.e. only two less than the record holder With Helmut Schönwho piloted West Germany in the 1960s and 70s.
Senegal’s strength is found in speed and pressure
Senegal is often considered a purely defense-oriented team, but the image is partly misleading. Although the team defends with discipline and made it through the World Cup qualifiers without losses, its game identity is built above all around activity.
Senegal is not a team that would passively sit back and wait for the opponent to make mistakes. Its style of play is based on high pressing, quick possessions and changes of situation, through which it tries to destabilize the opponent’s rhythm even far from its own goal. It is in this environment that the team is at its best.
The offensive end has plenty of speed and running power. Sadio Mane still acts as the team’s leader, but alongside him by Ismaïla Sarri, Iliman Ndiayen and by Nicolas Jackson players like that make Senegal dangerous especially when space is created on the pitch. The dynamism of the midfield, on the other hand, enables the team to be able to maintain a high intensity even without long periods of ball control.
Senegal’s greatest strength is not necessarily the ability to dominate matches with the ball, but the ability to force the opponent to play in their discomfort zone. The more you see quick changes of direction, duels and transitions in the match, the better Africa’s long-term winners usually have a good time.
The most interesting battle of the match is about rhythm
Tuesday night’s preliminary setup is significantly different from a typical match between an underdog and a favorite. While many teams would go against France to slow down the tempo and minimize risks, Senegal’s style of play is based on actively breaking the French quarterback. If the Africans manage to break down France’s opening game in the midfield, the match could be much more open and entertaining than what we are used to seeing in the opening round of the tournament.
The best betting tip of the day
The attacking power of both teams and the ability to punish the opponent for quick turnovers make more than 2.5 goals an interesting and expected value excellent choice for a coupon. At the time of writing the article, Veikkaus offers the market’s highest coefficient of 1.94 for this item.
Games of the day: France – Senegal over 2.5 goals with odds of 1.94.
Every day Iltalehti chooses the most interesting game of the day and the best game destination of the day. You can always find them in the Betting and Ravit section.