Kylian Mbappe stole the show in France’s opening match, scoring twice to seal a 3-1 win for the 2018 champions against Senegal on Tuesday and becoming France’s all-time leading goalscorer with 58 goals in 99 appearances.
The brace also made Mbappe France’s all-time top scorer in the FIFA World Cup with 14 goals.
It was a quiet first half for France, with Senegal dominating proceedings and registering five attempts on goal compared to just one for Les Bleus. The Teranga Lions came close twice, with Nicolas Jackson hitting the post and Ismaila Sarr skying a close-range effort.
In the second half, the French were far more explosive and dominated possession. They eventually opened the scoring through Mbappe, who connected with a delivery from Michael Olise to make it 1-0 in the 66th minute.
Two minutes later, Jackson thought he had found the equaliser with an absolute cracker, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Les Bleus continued to pile pressure on Senegal, and it paid off when Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute after beating Edouard Mendy with a composed finish inside the box following a counter-attack.
Pape Thiaw made some changes, including the introduction of 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, who pulled one back for the Teranga Lions with an excellent strike in the 95th minute.
However, Mbappe was not done yet as he responded with a superb rocket from outside the box to seal the win for Didier Deschamps’ men.
Senegal will now shift their attention to Norway on Tuesday, while France will face Iraq on Monday.
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