Cherki pushes for a start after France beat Senegal 3–1

France open with a 3–1 win over Senegal

Your team is off and running. France beat Senegal 3–1 in the World Cup opener on Saturday, with Rayan Cherki coming off the bench to make an impression (3). Three points on the board, group stage underway.

Rothen and Petit want Cherki to start against Iraq

The pundits are already pushing for change. Jérôme Rothen put it plainly: "J'ai envie de revoir Cherki", I want to see Cherki again (3). Emmanuel Petit backed him up. Both are calling for Cherki to start when France face Iraq on Monday at 23:00 (2) (3). His cameo against Senegal clearly left an impression.

Possible rotation: Digne, Koné, Barcola could come in

Deschamps may shuffle the pack. Lucas Digne, Manuel Koné, and Bradley Barcola are all in contention to start against Iraq (2). Three points already secured gives the manager room to rotate ahead of the knockout stage.

Akliouche sidesteps PSG question

Maghnes Akliouche faced the PSG question head-on at a press conference with Les Bleus, and he swerved it cleanly. The Monaco man made clear the discussion can wait until after the World Cup (4). Smart move, nothing distracts from the tournament right now.