France vs Senegal 3-1 — A Late Mbappe Brace Seals It

France beat Senegal 3-1 in a group-stage match where the expected-goals numbers backed up the hosts' edge — 1.79 to 0.53 — mostly converted late in the game.

For a long stretch the score stayed level at nil: both sides created chances but couldn't finish, until Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 66th minute — a goal that turned out to be the turning point of the entire match.

Bradley Barcola doubled the lead almost immediately after coming on

Barcola, sent on in the 80th minute for Ousmane Dembele, scored just two minutes after entering the pitch.

A rare case of a substitution paying off instantly at such a decisive moment of the group stage.

Ibrahima Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal in stoppage time

Mbaye's goal in the 90th minute briefly brought the drama back into the match.

The Senegalese side showed real character, continuing to fight even when the outcome seemed all but settled.

Mbappe completed his brace right after Senegal's goal

Less than a minute after Mbaye's goal, Kylian Mbappe restored the hosts' comfortable lead, making it 3-1.

An instant response from the France captain that buried any hope of a Senegalese comeback for good.

A long wait for the opening goal — first-half numbers

Both halves reflected a tight, cautious contest — both sides created chances, but the finishing only arrived in the second half.

Backed up by the shot count: 11 for the hosts against 6 for the visitors across the whole match.

A goals-prevented reading of -0.94 for both sides

A negative goals-prevented figure for both teams means the actual result was worse than the model expected.

A statistic that confirms just how productive the closing stages turned out to be for both sides at once.

Possession was nearly even, but finishing favored the hosts

With possession split 53-47 in France's favor, the gap on the scoreboard isn't explained by territorial dominance but by efficiency in the decisive minutes.

With the hosts converting two of their three goals in the match's final ten minutes.

What this goal means for Group I

France entered the match top of Group I on 9 points with a knockout spot already secured.

While Senegal sat third on 3 — the home win simply confirmed the group picture ahead of the remaining fixtures.

Deschamps' bench delivered again

Not for the first time at this tournament, it was substitutes who decided the outcome for France — squad depth remains one of Didier Deschamps' biggest assets heading into the decisive part of the group stage and the knockout rounds.

Three points are three points, no matter how late the decisive goal arrives. Group I's picture sharpens with every round, and for now it's Deschamps' bench, not his starting XI, writing the headlines.