Barcola shines as France open World Cup with 3–1 win over Senegal

Barcola magic, and France are up and running

France beat Senegal 3–1 in the World Cup opener on Tuesday, and Bradley Barcola was the story (1) (2). "C'est magique le football," Deschamps said afterwards. "What Barcola did, that's what the others need to bring" (1). Michael Olise also found the net, with Kylian Mbappé rounding out the scoring in a performance that answered the first big question of the tournament.

Deschamps: Kompany made Olise world-class

After the Senegal win, Didier Deschamps gave Vincent Kompany a lot of credit for Michael Olise's development at Bayern Munich (3). "He had an outstanding season under him, with efficiency, character and personality," Deschamps told SportBild. "Today, Michael is one of the best players in the world, but media attention isn't his thing. What's important to him is the pitch; that's where he wants to live his life" (3).

Gusto injures ankle in reserve friendly

Malo Gusto went down with an ankle injury during a friendly between France reserves and New England Revolution on Wednesday (7) (8). The match took place the day after the Senegal win, giving minutes to players outside the starting eleven (5). No word yet on severity, but it is a concern for your depth at full-back.

Around the group: England and Austria win

England beat Croatia 4–2 on Wednesday, with Harry Kane scoring twice (4) (10). Tuchel's halftime talk drew comparisons to Deschamps: "The credit goes to the coach," one report noted after both managers turned their openers with the break (4) (10). Austria also won their group match, beating Jordan 3–1 with Konrad Laimer in the side (6).

Fan reactions

With Mbappé passing Just Fontaine on the all-time World Cup scoring list, fans have been revisiting Fontaine's remarkable 13-goal 1958 tournament. A detailed tribute to Fontaine has been making the rounds on r/soccer, putting Mbappé's latest milestone in historical context. Read the full thread here.