Mbappe nets brace as France open World Cup campaign with 3-1 win over Senegal

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States (AFP) — Kylian Mbappe found the net on two occasions as France began their pursuit of a third World Cup title with a 3-1 Group I win against Senegal on Tuesday.

The Real Madrid forward raised his World Cup career total to 14 goals, leaving him only two shy of record-holder Miroslav Klose. Bradley Barcola also scored as Les Bleus collected maximum points under Didier Deschamps.

After a difficult opening 45 minutes, France improved sharply after the interval. On 66 minutes, Mbappe raced into the box to finish a fine pass from Michael Olise and open the scoring. Barcola, another Paris Saint-Germain player, entered from the bench to add a late second, though his teammate Ibrahim Mbaye reduced the deficit for Senegal deep into added time.

Mbappe then delivered the decisive moment, drilling home from distance in the 96th minute to confirm victory and lift his France tally to 58 goals, making him the country's record scorer.

Deschamps' choice to shift Olise centrally from the right flank helped unlock the contest for the two-time champions. Even so, it was Mbappe who dominated the night on his 99th international appearance.

The striker has again shown his affinity for football's biggest stage. He scored in the 2018 final when France lifted the trophy and registered a hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar, where Argentina prevailed on penalties.

At 27, Mbappe has moved beyond Pele's 12 World Cup goals and passed the 13 scored by Lionel Messi and fellow Frenchman Just Fontaine. He now shares fourth place on the all-time list with Gerd Mueller, with only Klose and Brazil's Ronaldo, on 15, above him.

Among the sides tipped before the tournament, France will look to carry this form into the round of 32. Iraq are next, followed by a clash with Erling Haaland's Norway. Deschamps, coaching his final major tournament after 14 years, has urged his gifted group to avoid complacency.

Senegal offered a reminder of an earlier shock. France entered the 2002 World Cup as holders and heavy favourites, only to fall 1-0 to the Lions of Teranga in their first match and exit the group stage without finding the net.

Before a crowd of 80,545, with Manhattan's skyline visible in the background under bright sunshine, Senegal proved their quality. A side captained by veteran forward Sadio Mane and including four starters born in France were contesting their first competitive fixture since January's Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco.

Pape Thiaw's team won that decider in extra time but were later stripped of the crown after several players walked off in protest during the match. An appeal against that decision remains active.

Senegal were superior before the break. On 25 minutes, Nicolas Jackson broke clear and struck the post; the rebound came off goalkeeper Mike Maignan and rolled just wide. Ismaila Sarr then missed a clear opening in first-half stoppage time, a miss they would rue.

At halftime, Olise and reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele swapped roles, with Dembele moving to the right and Olise operating through the middle behind Mbappe toward Bayern's man. France immediately looked more dangerous. Olise was stopped by Edouard Mendy and later created a chance for Mbappe that was kept out.

Around the hour, France believed they had earned a penalty when Mbappe went to ground following a challenge from Mane, but referee Alireza Faghani declined to point to the spot after a video review.

The decision proved immaterial. Olise continued to trouble the Senegalese defence and fed Mbappe for a well-taken opener. France added a second when Adrien Rabiot played substitute Barcola through to score. Mbaye replied in the 95th minute, but Mbappe had the final say.