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By oscar Okhifo
Kylian Mbappé etched his name into French football history with a brace as France opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Senegal on Tuesday, becoming the country’s all-time leading goalscorer in the process.
France were made to battle for the points by a resilient Senegalese side that matched their opponents for long spells of the contest and kept the scoreline level heading into the halftime break.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 66th minute when Mbappé latched onto a well-crafted attacking move and calmly slotted home to hand France a deserved lead.
With confidence growing, Les Bleus tightened their grip on the match, and substitute Bradley Barcola doubled the advantage late on with a composed finish after a swift counterattack.
Senegal refused to give up and pulled a goal back through Ibrahim Mbaye in stoppage time, briefly threatening a late revival and setting up a tense finish.
However, Mbappé had the final say, restoring France’s two-goal cushion moments later with his second strike of the night to wrap up a convincing 3-1 victory for the former world champions.
The two-goal performance also marked a historic milestone for the Real Madrid forward, who became France’s all-time leading goalscorer, adding another remarkable achievement to his illustrious career.
The victory handed France an ideal start to their Group I campaign and reinforced their status as one of the tournament favourites, while Senegal will be hoping to bounce back quickly and revive their qualification hopes in their next outing.
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his captain’s influence, saying Mbappé “once again showed why he is decisive at the highest level and why he leads this team from the front.”
Mbappé, who marked the night with a historic brace, described the win as “a strong collective statement,” adding that “the most important thing is starting well, but we must stay focused and keep improving as the tournament goes on.”