France 3-1 Senegal: Mbappé brace makes him Les Bleus' all-time top scorer

France opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal in front of 80,545 fans at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, branded New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament. The Group I clash turned on a Kylian Mbappé brace that carried more than three points — it carried history.

A tight, contested first hour

The game stayed level deep into the second half, and one moment threatened to define it. Around the 62nd minute, France appealed for a penalty after Sadio Mané's challenge on Mbappé. Referee Alireza Faghani waved it away, and after an on-field VAR review he upheld the decision, reasoning that the attacker had initiated the contact. No penalty was given, and France had to find their breakthrough another way.

Mbappé breaks the deadlock

They did not have to wait long. In the 66th minute Mbappé finally beat the Senegal goalkeeper to put France ahead, settling the contest his side had been pushing to win. It was a goal of real significance: across the night Mbappé would move past Olivier Giroud to become France's all-time leading goalscorer, taking his tally to 58 international goals.

Barcola and a second Mbappé strike

With Senegal forced to chase the game, the space opened up. Bradley Barcola doubled the lead in the 82nd minute, and Mbappé completed his brace in the sixth minute of stoppage time (90+6') to make it 3-1. In between, Senegal got on the board through Ibrahim Mbaye, whose strike in the fifth minute of added time (90+5') was no more than a consolation. The match passed without a single yellow or red card.

What it means for Group I

France are up and running, and on the same matchday Norway beat Iraq 4-1, meaning two of Group I's four sides — France, Senegal, Iraq and Norway — took maximum points from round one. Senegal, beaten on the opening night, now have ground to make up. For France, the headline is Mbappé: a captain who answered a defining night by rewriting his country's record books. Revisit the game on the match page or see the full schedule at matches.