It was to be a repeat of the opener to the 2002 World Cup as France faced Senegal. Back then, Senegal humbled Les Bleus with a 1-0 win, but there would be no repeat of that outcome this time round. Kylian Mbappé would take the headlines as he fired France to a 3-1 win and […]

Saudi Arabia produced one of the defensive performances of the tournament to frustrate Uruguay for long periods, before Marcelo Bielsa’s second-half tweaks transformed the dynamic of the match. A game that initially exposed Uruguay’s structural flaws eventually became a showcase of tactical adaptation, as Saudi Arabia’s compact 4-4-2 was slowly worn down by a more […]