Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France began their quest for a third FIFA World Cup title with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in their Group I opener on Tuesday.
The Real Madrid forward netted in the second half to break the deadlock before adding a stoppage-time strike, while Bradley Barcola also found the net as Didier Deschamps’ side secured all three points.
France struggled to impose themselves in the opening half, with Senegal creating the better chances. Nicolas Jackson came close to opening the scoring midway through the first half when his effort struck the post, while Ismaila Sarr squandered a clear opportunity in stoppage time.
The match turned in France’s favour after the interval following tactical adjustments by Deschamps, who repositioned Michael Olise into a more central role.
Olise proved instrumental in the breakthrough, threading a precise pass for Mbappe, who raced into the box and finished clinically in the 66th minute to give France the lead.
Barcola doubled the advantage late in the game after being released by Adrien Rabiot, calmly finishing past goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Senegal reduced the deficit in stoppage time through Paris Saint-Germain youngster Ibrahim Mbaye, raising hopes of a late comeback. However, Mbappe quickly extinguished those hopes with a powerful long-range effort deep into added time.
The brace took Mbappe’s World Cup tally to 14 goals, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi and Just Fontaine and leaving him just two goals behind all-time World Cup leading scorer Miroslav Klose. The goals also saw the 27-year-old become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals.
France, regarded as one of the tournament favourites, will next face Iraq before taking on Norway in their remaining Group I fixtures.
Senegal, led by veteran forward Sadio Mane, impressed for large parts of the contest but were ultimately punished for failing to convert their first-half dominance into goals.
