France had Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Olise to thank – just as much as Kylian Mbappé – for his part in their 3-1 win over Senegal.
Surrounded by stars in a team who have made it to the last two World Cup finals, it would have been understandable if Ousmane Dembélé, it was Olise’s moment of genius that unlocked the Senegal defence and set France on their way to victory. And they needed that moment of magic desperately.
The 2018 world champions had been incredibly disappointing in the first half. They touched the ball in the opposition’s box only three times and had only one shot, which was worth just 0.02 xG. Olise was as culpable as anyone, though Mbappé’s poor performance was certainly more noticeable given how many poor touches he had. At the break, with France needing improvement, Olise’s spot on the pitch might have been under threat.
But France manager Didier Deschamps instead decided he wanted to see more of Olise, not less. The Bayern Munich winger was moved from the right flank to a central position behind Mbappé, and the game changed almost immediately.
France were unrecognisable in the second half. They had 10 shots worth 1.87 xG, with a great deal of their play going through Olise. Over the course of the game, he made 12 more passes in the final third (27) than any other teammate, completing a hugely impressive 92.6% of those passes. He also created four chances, which was twice as many as anyone else on the pitch.
There were many eye-catching moments. The way he glided around Senegal defenders with such ease was astounding. His run across the defence and into the box with the game still goalless, only to be denied by Éduoard Mendy in the Senegal goal, deserved better.
And it was his pass from out on the right that sparked the game into life with the opening goal. With one single ball into the box, he cut through the heart of the Senegal team and put Mbappé in to open the scoring. Mbappé had struggled up until that point, so he was understandably extremely grateful to have been handed such a presentable chance. Olise is probably most well-known for his dribbling, but this single moment showed just how exceptional his vision and passing is, too.
In total, the chances Olise created were worth 0.95 expected assists, which is second only to Pedri (1.23) of all players at the 2026 World Cup so far. Pedri, of Spain, racked up his tally against Cape Verde, while Olise did it against the team that won the most recent Africa Cup of Nations (even if that title was eventually taken off them).
And what’s more, Olise also had chances himself worth 0.4 xG. His total of 1.35 non-penalty expected goals and assists is the highest by any player at the 2026 World Cup so far. And he essentially did it in half a game.
Mbappé grabbed the headlines with a brace that took him to within two goals of Miroslav Klose’s record goal tally in World Cups, not least because the second of his strikes was a lethal effort from all of 25 yards that flew into the top corner of the net.
But he wouldn’t have got those goals if it hadn’t been for Olise. The Bayern midfielder laid the first on a plate, and even though he didn’t get the final touch – and was therefore denied an assist – before Mbappé’s second, it was his dribble through the middle of the pitch that led to that goal, too.
Olise didn’t come into the tournament as quite the household name of some of his more illustrious teammates, but on this evidence, everyone will be well aware of him come the end of the 2026 World Cup.
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Kylian Mbappé Will Take the Headlines, But Michael Olise Was the Genius Behind France’s Win Opta Analyst.
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