Kylian Mbappe delivered another historic performance on the world stage as France opened their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Real Madrid forward scored twice to become France’s all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing Olivier Giroud’s long-standing record and guiding Les Bleus to an important opening win in front of 80,545 spectators.
After a frustrating first half in which France struggled to create chances, Didier Deschamps’ side found a different rhythm after the break and Mbappe led the charge.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 66th minute when Mbappe latched onto a defence-splitting pass from Michael Olise and finished first time to put France ahead. The goal took him level with Giroud on 57 international goals.
France extended their lead in the 82nd minute through Bradley Barcola, who produced a composed finish to give the 2022 finalists breathing space.
Senegal refused to surrender and reduced the deficit deep into stoppage time when substitute Ibrahim Mbaye, regarded by many as one of the country’s brightest young talents, calmly chipped the ball past the French goalkeeper to make it 2-1.
But any hopes of a dramatic comeback disappeared moments later.
Mbappe produced the moment of the night in the sixth minute of added time, unleashing a stunning long-range strike to seal the victory and move clear as France’s outright leading scorer with his 58th international goal.
The brace also moved the French captain onto 14 World Cup goals, placing him alongside German legend Gerd Muller on the tournament’s all-time scoring list and closing the gap on Brazil’s Ronaldo and record-holder Miroslav Klose.
France had earlier felt aggrieved after Mbappe was denied a penalty following a challenge involving Sadio Mane. Despite a VAR review, referee Alireza Faghani upheld his original decision and awarded a goal kick.
Senegal arguably created the better opportunities in the first half and were left to regret missed chances, including a close-range opportunity that went begging before the break.
In the end, France’s quality in attack proved decisive as Mbappe once again stole the spotlight and handed Les Bleus a winning start to their World Cup journey.
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