EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J: France coach Didier Deschamps said his side were not out for revenge in their World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday, 24 years after an opening loss to the African powerhouse preceded a calamitous group-stage exit and a bitter memory for their fans.
The holders in 2002, Les Bleus were stunned when they lost their opening match 1-0 to Senegal in Seoul. France never righted the campaign, with a 0-0 draw against Uruguay and a 2-0 defeat by Denmark in a final humiliation sealing an early exit.
“Listen, this was history but even (midfielder) N’Golo (Kante) I’m not sure he saw the game. Nearly most of my players weren’t born in 2002,” Deschamps told reporters via a translator in East Rutherford on Monday, where the 2022 runners-up play Senegal in Group I at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
“I know that you like this word ‘revenge’ but there’s no revenge in football.”
The 2018 champions will be under the spotlight in swampy New Jersey, with prodigious striker Kylian Mbappe – a bona fide celebrity even in the soccer-ambivalent United States – playing under scrutiny from critics after he drew a blank in warm-up games against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland.
Playing Senegal for the first time since that 2002 loss adds to the drama as France hunt a third straight trip to the final.
“(Senegal have) got excellent players who play in the best clubs,” said Deschamps. “They’ve got an offensive capacity, their midfield is excellent. When you’re part of the best teams, you’ve got everything.”
The 35-year-old Kante, a key piece of France’s triumphant 2018 campaign who is back in the mix after missing 2022 with an injury, said he expected a tough fight with Senegal’s midfield.
The Fenerbahce player added that beating Senegal was important to set the right tone for the tournament, not for revenge.
“We want to be part of this squad and to have everyone on board, everybody counts, everybody is important,” he told reporters.
“I do believe that it’s important to have trust in our team. We need to go as far as possible in the competition … Of course, our main opponent is ourselves. We need to stay together, concentrated.”
France play Senegal at 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) on Tuesday before facing Iraq and Norway.