EXCLUSIVE: Guillaume Hoarau heaps praise on France's record breaker Kylian Mbappe
After a sluggish first half and some tweaks at the interval, a masterful second period saw France overturn a difficult match against a solid, well organised opponent.
Didier Deschamps will undoubtedly find the appropriate adjustments in the days ahead, as he frequently does during tournaments. Yet this morning the key point lies elsewhere: Les Bleus triumphed where others have faltered, doing so in style, gathering momentum and delivering a powerful statement.
"France won because they completely altered their strategy after the interval," Guillaume Hoarau summarised.
"This team possesses immense attacking potential. We have faith in them!" And that is the primary lesson from this match: once they get going, the French team can dismantle any defence.
Mbappe, Michael, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, then Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki: in the second half, Les Bleus completely ripped apart Pape Thiaw's defensive block with their attacking arsenal.
While the breakthrough initially came from a moment of individual brilliance (Olise's pass, Mbappe's run), Deschamps's men then produced their finest football.
Adjustments? Trust in Deschamps
"As a former number 9, I can tell you that a striker thrives on the quality of the connections around him. When passes arrive faster, when runs are detected earlier, everything becomes simpler," Guillaume Hoarau stated.
"And with players like Mbappe, Dembele or Olise, if you afford them space and confidence, they are incredibly difficult to defend against."
Individual brilliance unlocks the collective: that first goal opened the floodgates and the performance became a team effort, epitomised by the second goal where Adrien Rabiot played Barcola through, who finished beautifully with a delightful chip.
But the first half had been tough. When a team is struggling, the midfield is often to blame, as they need to relieve the pressure and restart play.
France's lack of control in the first half raises several questions for the future, particularly regarding the Aurelien Tchouameni-Rabiot double pivot selected by Deschamps.
"There is always room for improvement," Hoarau explained.
"In the first half, we questioned that Tchouameni-Rabiot double pivot, but in the end, what a brilliant pass from Rabiot!
"Once the team was emotionally freed after the first goal, everything flowed more smoothly. You have to understand Deschamps: with four attackers, you need to compensate and maintain the balance.
"We will see how it goes as the tournament progresses, but for a first match, the nerves... we will take it! We do not have Vitinha, do we (laughs)."
"If this team can throw off the emotional burden of 'we are favourites, we must live up to it' and truly enjoy themselves on the pitch... they could be extremely dangerous.
"That has to come from the players, because Deschamps will not change his principles. For me, it is really a mental issue: when France dominate a match emotionally, they can suffocate anyone."
Mbappe breaks records, Hoarau hails the performance
If there is one thing to take away from this opening match, it is Mbappe's performance. After a difficult first half, the French captain elevated his game in the second.
The Real Madrid player also scored what is already the goal of the tournament: a 35-yard strike that left Senegal helpless, just after they had pulled one back.
His brace takes his World Cup tally to 14 goals, just two behind Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi (16), the record holders.
Above all, he officially becomes the top scorer in the history of the French national team with 58 goals, overtaking Giroud's 57.
"You must always trust Mr Mbappe!" Hoarau said. "His first half was not exceptional. Many would have faded from the game.
"But he kept making runs, demanding the ball, taking on opponents. And by persevering, he turned the match around. That is what makes the very best players."
"I think these goals will do him a world of good mentally. You could sense he was desperate to score; it was so important for him to start this tournament well and shake off any nerves."