I stopped by the Guggenheim yesterday and stood for a long time before a Kandinsky — all that controlled chaos, colour bleeding into purpose — and tonight, watching France dissect Senegal, I expect something similarly composed yet ruthless. Mbappé needs only one moment of inspiration, and in a neutral arena where Senegal cannot lean on a crowd to carry them through the difficult spells, their defensive structure around Koulibaly will be tested by the relentless movement France orchestrate in the final third. Maignan will be largely a spectator, but when called upon — as Mané will surely demand — he is the kind of goalkeeper who makes the difficult look inevitable.

France's superiority in the defensive and forward zones tells the full story here — Koundé and Upamecano form a wall that Mané and Jackson simply cannot find a way through, and with Mbappé needing just one moment of brilliance to unlock a Senegalese backline that looks exposed on the flanks, *les Bleus* have the quality to grind this out. Senegal's midfield engine — and Sarr has the energy to make a nuisance of himself — won't generate enough clean possession to trouble Maignan, who I expect to be relatively untroubled but utterly reliable when called upon. I tried my hand at a New Jersey crumb bun this week at MetLife, and much like Senegal's attack, I had the right ingredients but couldn't quite pull it all together in the end.