Kylian Mbappé scored twice to inspire France to a 3-1 win over Senegal as Les Bleus began their pursuit of a third World Cup title in Group I on Tuesday.
The Real Madrid star’s brace elevated his career World Cup goals tally to 14 just two shy of all-time leader Miroslav Klose—and saw him leapfrog legends like Pelé, Lionel Messi, and Just Fontaine. Bradley Barcola also found the net, ensuring France claimed all three points for Didier Deschamps’ side.
After a sluggish first half in which Senegal impressed, France broke the deadlock in the 66th minute. Michael Olise, whose switch to a central role proved decisive, threaded a superb pass for Mbappé, who finished clinically. Substitute Barcola doubled the lead with a late strike before Ibrahim Mbaye, his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, pulled one back for Senegal in stoppage time.
But Mbappé had the final say, unleashing a spectacular long-range effort in the 96th minute to seal the victory and become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals.
Deschamps’ tactical adjustment, moving Olise infield, swung the contest in France’s favor. Yet it was Mbappé who dominated the headlines on his 99th international appearance, continuing his remarkable World Cup record.
Having scored in the 2018 final and netted a hat-trick in the 2022 showpiece, the 27-year-old now stands level with Gerd Müller in all-time World Cup goals, with only Klose and Ronaldo (15) ahead.
France, one of the tournament favorites, is now well placed to progress, with matches against Iraq and Norway to come. Deschamps, overseeing his final tournament after 14 years at the helm, has cautioned his squad against complacency—memories of the shock 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the 2002 opener still linger.
Senegal, led by veteran Sadio Mané and featuring four France-born starters, showed their quality in front of 80,545 fans on a sunlit afternoon with Manhattan’s skyline as a backdrop. The African side, playing their first competitive match since a controversial Africa Cup of Nations final, edged the first half and came close to scoring through Nicolas Jackson and Ismaila Sarr, but couldn’t capitalize.
After the break, France’s attacking changes paid off, with Olise at the heart of their best moments. The referee waved away a penalty shout for Mbappé after a Mane challenge, but France soon found their breakthrough and never looked back.
Despite Mbaye’s late goal for Senegal, Mbappé’s brilliance ensured a memorable start for Les Bleus, as they set their sights on another World Cup triumph.
