The French national team struggled more than expected in its opening match, but when you have Kylian Mbappé on the field, history is always rewritten. After an unusually lackluster first half, the French star rubbed the lamp and scored a spectacular brace to lead “Les Bleus” to a 3-1 victory over a tenacious Senegal.
The Awakening of a Beast
It wasn’t an easy start for the Europeans. Mbappé recorded just 14 touches during a scoreless first half, making him the player with the fewest touches on the field. However, his brilliance came through at the crucial moment to break through the Senegalese defense.
In the 66th minute, following excellent give-and-go play on the right wing between Jules Koundé and Michael Olise, the latter slipped in a diagonal pass. Mbappé kicked into high gear, shifted past Senegalese captain Kalidou Koulibaly, and finished with a delicate touch to the far post past goalkeeper Édouard Mendy to open the scoring.
Coach Didier Deschamps shuffled his lineup and brought on Bradley Barcola in the 80th minute. The substitution paid off almost immediately. Just two minutes later, Barcola capitalized on a deep pass from Adrien Rabiot and, with a precise touch, beat Mendy to make it 2-0.
A completely crazy finish
Injury time provided plenty of thrills. In the 95th minute, Ibrahim Mbaye gave Senegal hope with a powerful angled shot to cut the deficit. But the African celebration lasted only a heartbeat. Barely a minute later, Mbappé unleashed a spectacular long-range rocket that sailed over Mendy’s head and nestled just under the crossbar, sealing the final 3-1 score.
Kylian, the record-breaker
With this brace, the French superstar posted numbers straight out of a video game:
- Among the immortals: He reached 14 World Cup goals, surpassing legends like Lionel Messi, Pelé, and Just Fontaine in one fell swoop.
- On the hunt for the throne: He is now tied with Germany’s Gerd Müller and hot on the heels of Ronaldo Nazário (15) and the all-time leading scorer, Miroslav Klose (16).
- France’s undisputed king: Mbappé reached 58 international goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the French national team.
What’s next for both teams?
In its quest to reach its third consecutive World Cup final, France will travel to Philadelphia to face Iraq next Monday, and will close out Group I play on June 26 against Norway in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
For its part, Senegal will look to get back on track this Monday when it faces Norway at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, before closing out the first round against Iraq in Toronto.
