Zlatan Ibrahimovic Puts Alexi Lalas in His Place During World Cup

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Thierry Henry produced a priceless reaction live on FOX Sports after Zlatan Ibrahimovic put Alexi Lalas in his place on live TV following France’s 3-1 win over Senegal at the 2026 World Cup.

The trio have only been working together since the tournament began last week but there have already been moments of tension between Lalas, the former United States international, and his fellow pundits.

Lalas made headlines last week after describing British presenter James Corden as a “full kit w***er” live on TV on day two of the tournament, prompting a shocked reaction from his fellow panellists.

Since then, viewers on social media have been speculating that Zlatan and Henry have little time for the outspoken Lalas.

There was another tense moment between Ibrahimovic and Lalas on Tuesday, following France’s victory over Senegal.

Lalas attempted to spark a discussion over whether the French team were guilty of being arrogant during the goalless first half. The 56-year-old made the comment after former USA star Landon Donovan called Les Bleus “arrogant” and “casual” in their approach during the opening 45 minutes.

"The reality is, if they are arrogant, it's because they can do things like that," Lalas said, highlighting France’s second-half performance in which Kylian Mbappe scored twice. However, Zlatan shut down any suggestions of France being arrogant, responding:

"It's not arrogance, it's confidence. Ignorant people will say it's arrogance, intelligent people will say it's confidence.”

Henry’s eyes widened and stayed that way for several seconds as the dust settled on Zlatan’s cutting response. Watch the clip below:

France, one of the pre-tournament favourites, struggled during the first half against Senegal in hot conditions at the New York New Jersey Stadium. But Didier Deschamps’ side found their rhythm after the break and secured all three points thanks to Mbappe’s brace and another goal from substitute Bradley Barcola.

However, France only find themselves second in Group I after the first round of matches due to Norway securing a 4-1 win over Iraq. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, making his maiden appearance at a World Cup finals, scored twice at the Boston Stadium.

Tracking the leading contenders to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in 2026.

In the night’s other games, over in Group J, Lionel Messi became the World Cup’s joint all-time leading goalscorer after netting a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria, while Austria sealed a 3-1 win over Jordan.

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