It was a tight, tactical first half. Les Bleus and the Lions of Teranga headed into the locker rooms at MetLife Stadium with the score tied at 0-0.
While the French team generally controlled the ball and clearly dominated possession, they came up against a Senegalese defense that was perfectly organized and particularly composed in its ball movement and transitions.
In the 25th minute, on a lightning-fast counterattack, Nicolas Jackson found himself one-on-one with Mike Maignan.
The French goalkeeper, with a little help from the post, denied the Senegalese forward’s attempt, marking the most dangerous moment of the first 45 minutes.
To break through the African defense after halftime, Didier Deschamps will need to inject more creativity and directness into his team’s attacking play.
For Senegal, the key will lie in their ability to maintain this intense physical pace while exploiting any weaknesses in Les Bleus defense on the counterattack. Everything is still to be decided in New York.
