Mbappe Double Sets France Record as Les Bleus Beat Senegal 3-1 at World Cup 2026
Kylian Mbappe produced a moment of history as France opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal in Group I at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Real Madrid forward struck twice in the second half to reach 58 goals for Les Bleus, moving past Olivier Giroud to become France’s all-time leading scorer in front of a crowd of 80,545. After a sluggish first half, Mbappe lit up New Jersey to settle a tense contest, the ideal start for one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Mbappe Rewrites the French Record Books
The opening 45 minutes ended goalless, with France dominating possession but lacking a cutting edge. The breakthrough came in the 66th minute, when Mbappe latched onto a defence-splitting pass from Michael Olise and finished calmly to equal Giroud’s record of 57 goals. Bradley Barcola doubled the lead in the 82nd minute, before Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal in the 95th minute. Yet just moments later, Mbappe had the final word, curling home a stunning long-range strike to reach 58 and claim the record outright.
Senegal Pay for Missed Chances
Senegal brought the pace and physicality expected of one of Africa’s strongest sides, threatening on the break and briefly reviving hopes through Mbaye’s late goal. But against France’s composed midfield and ruthless finishing, the Lions of Teranga could not hold on. Conceding twice in the dying minutes summed up the gap in clinical edge, a warning Senegal must heed in their remaining group fixtures. France, for their part, will want tighter game management after switching off late on, even though the three points were never truly in doubt.
World Cup Scoring Charts and France’s Outlook
For the 27-year-old captain, the night meant far more than two goals. The double took his World Cup tally to 14, level with Germany great Gerd Muller and behind only Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16) on the all-time list. In red-hot form and supported by emerging talents such as Olise and Barcola, France look every bit the tournament favourites their attacking depth suggests.
Group I Standings
In the group’s other fixture, Norway thrashed Iraq 4-1, meaning both European sides began Group I with wins and the qualification picture is already taking shape. Follow every update on our live scores page, and read more match reports for the key details from every game. Senegal, meanwhile, must respond quickly across the rest of Group I, with little margin for error after this opening defeat.
