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Mbappé’s Brace Sends France Past Senegal in Group I Opener
3-1. That’s the final score. But the story is so much bigger than that.
France kicked off their World Cup 2026 campaign against Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey — and almost didn’t get the result they wanted. Then Kylian Mbappé happened. Twice.
A Slow Start That Could Have Gone Wrong
France came into this tournament as one of the favourites. Senegal came in as the team with nothing to lose. For 45 minutes, it looked like the underdogs had the edge.
Senegal were the better side in the first half, as Nicolas Jackson hit the post before Ismaïla Sarr missed a golden opportunity from close range to take the lead before the half-time whistle.
Mbappé’s first-half performance appeared to provide ammunition for his critics. Touches went astray. Opportunities passed him by. Moves seemed to break down around him. If you’d watched only the first 45 minutes, you’d have thought this was heading toward an upset.
It wasn’t a comfortable watch for French fans. France struggled badly in the first half, but came to life after the break. ESPN
Then Mbappé Took Over
Didier Deschamps, in his last campaign, roared his team to life in the second 45, as Mbappé hit first, getting on the end of a superb ball from Michael Olise.
Mbappe then entered the history books outright with a super shot from outside the box after substitute Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye had traded impressive late goals of their own. Bradley Barcola made it two off the bench with a dinked finish, after he got on the end of an inch-perfect ball from Adrien Rabiot. In added time, Ibrahim Mbaye halved the deficit, before Mbappé hit an outrageous strike from distance into the top corner, just moments after the restart, to seal the points. WikipediaWikipedia
Two goals. One performance that completely flipped the narrative of the match.
A Historic Night for Mbappé
This wasn’t just a brace — it was a record-breaking one.
Kylian Mbappé moved himself up the World Cup career scoring charts and became France’s record goal scorer with two goals in Les Bleus’ 3-1 Group I win against Senegal.
Mbappé moved level with West Germany legend Gerd Muller on 14 World Cup goals with his double, taking him to third in the career rankings behind Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who have 16 each. Mbappe moves to 14 goals at World Cups, putting him only two behind Miroslav Klose and joint-record holder Lionel Messi, who scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s win over Algeria.
Mbappé’s double strike took him to 58 goals for France, which moved him clear of former Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan forward Olivier Giroud as the country’s leading career scorer. Mbappé has now scored in three successive World Cups. OlympicsOlympics
Even World Cup legends were impressed. “It was a magic moment for Mbappe,” Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Fox Soccer. “The second goal was amazing but even the first one. He has been scoring goals every game he has been playing.”
Our Take — Is France the Favourite?
Honest opinion: not yet.
France looked vulnerable for 45 minutes against a Senegal team that, on paper, shouldn’t have troubled them this much. France went into the 2002 World Cup as holders and favourites, but lost 1-0 to the Lions of Teranga in their opening game and never recovered, going out in the group stage without scoring a goal. The history between these two nations made this match extra tense. ESPN
But here’s the thing about a team with Mbappé — even on an off day, he can win you the match alone. That’s what makes France dangerous. France coach Didier Deschamps has been wary of overconfidence in his talented squad. And he should be — they’ll need a better all-round performance against tougher opponents ahead. Wikipedia
For now, France gets the win, the record, and the confidence boost. Next up for France is Iraq on June 23, while they meet Senegal’s group rivals Norway on the same day elsewhere in the group. Wikipedia
What’s Next for France
- France vs Iraq — June 23, 2026
A winnable match on paper, but after this performance, nothing should be taken for granted. If Mbappé continues this form, France will be tough to stop.
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