France's Adrien Rabiot raised concerns about the quality of the pitch at the New York/New Jersey stadium, also known as the MetLife Stadium, after their 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday, echoing Brazil forward Vinicius Jr's frustration with the dryness of the surface. Rabiot, who bagged an assist in France's Group I opener, said the ground set to host the World Cup final in July felt less like a real pitch and more like an artificial surface. Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Mbappé becomes France's record scorer as Les Bleus down valiant Senegal "The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface – quite hard and quite rigid," Rabiot told reporters. Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps called the pitch a "special surface" when asked about it in a press conference. "I think there's probably concrete underneath, it's very short fibres," Deschamps said. The pitch felt different from last year's FIFA Club World Cup, also played at the New York/New Jersey stadium, Deschamps added. "The bounce is a bit different," he said, adding that his side are adjusting to the conditions.
Mbappé's opener helped France overcome a wobbly start. © Frank Franklin II, AP
