Thierry Henry did not hold back after Landon Donovan accused France of being “arrogant” during their World Cup opener against Senegal.
France eventually ran out 3-1 winners thanks to a second-half brace from Kylian Mbappé, but the first half had been a different story.
With the scores level at half-time, Donovan suggested that Didier Deschamps’ side were approaching the game with the wrong attitude.
Thierry Henry responds to Landon Donovan’s France criticism
Donovan, on Fox commentary duty, described France’s first-half display as both “arrogant” and “casual” as the defending champions struggled to impose themselves.
Henry, however, was not having any of it.
“I just don’t get it. So because you’re not 1-0 or 2-0 or 3-0 up after 15 minutes, those words have to come out?”
Henry argued that not enough credit was being given to Senegal, one of Africa’s strongest national teams.
“We all knew what was going to happen. If people don’t know how Senegal can play, that’s on them.”
France eventually backed up Henry’s point
While France struggled to impose themselves in the first half, the match looked very different after the break.
Mbappé led the charge as Les Bleus pulled away, sealing a 3-1 win to start their campaign on the front foot.
Clearly, Henry, who has represented France at the World Cup and won the tournament himself, did not appreciate the impatience and unnecessary assertions from Donovan.
On top of that, France weren’t facing a weak team, as Senegal are one of the best teams in Africa, and were in the AFCON finals just a few months ago.
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