Tchouameni warns: Senegal represents a real danger for France from the start

Aurélien Tchouameni has cautioned his teammates against taking their opening match too lightly against Senegal, France’s first opponent at the World Cup, on Tuesday in New York.

“Senegal was seeded 2 at the time of the draw. For France, seeded 1, to face a seeded 2 team right away—that probably hasn’t happened often. But it’s going to require us to be even more ready from the start, otherwise it’s going to be difficult,” the midfielder said in an interview with L’Équipe.

The Real Madrid player did not fail to recall the precedent of 2002: nearly a quarter-century ago, the Lions of Teranga pulled off one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history by beating France in the opening match. A memory that weighs heavy, and one the Senegalese have clearly not forgotten.

Tchouameni also points to a recurring pattern among the Blues: their opening matches in competitions are rarely convincing. He cites the 2022 World Cup opener against Australia as an example—laborious despite the victory—and recalls that the same thing happened in Russia in 2018. “The first match in a competition is never very good. You might win, but in terms of performance, there are always things to adjust afterwards,” he acknowledged.

Still, the French midfielder is not being alarmist. “You have to approach it in the most calm way possible. It’s not easy because there’s all this adrenaline to channel, all the preparation to digest. But it’s good to build confidence and show that we’ll be ready,” he added.

Beyond Senegal alone, Tchouameni stresses the pressure weighing on the entire squad: “We know the French team is expected to perform. We have to be careful, because we don’t want to end up on the wrong side of history.”