New Jersey, June 17: France kicked off the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a resounding victory, defeating Senegal 3-1 in an exhilarating match. Kylian Mbappe was the standout player, scoring two impressive goals.
From the start, both teams displayed aggressive play. Senegal consistently pressured France’s defense, creating several good chances. Meanwhile, France launched a series of attacks, testing Senegal’s defense thoroughly. However, neither team managed to score in the first half, which ended goalless.
The second half saw both teams continue their aggressive strategies. France finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute when Michael Olise delivered a brilliant pass to Kylian Mbappe, who converted it into a goal without hesitation. This goal gave France a 1-0 lead. France continued to press forward, increasing the pressure on Senegal’s defense.
In the 82nd minute, substitute Bradley Barcola extended France’s lead to 2-0 by scoring from a pass by Adrien Rabiot. In the dying moments of the match, Senegal attempted a comeback. During stoppage time, Ibrahim Mbaye’s shot deflected into the net, bringing the score to 2-1. This goal raised hopes for Senegal’s revival.
However, Mbappe dashed those hopes just a minute later with a stunning long-range strike, sealing the match at 3-1 for France. With his two goals, Mbappe surpassed Lionel Messi in the all-time World Cup scoring chart, now boasting 14 goals compared to Messi’s 13.
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