Mbappe breaks Giroud’s record as France beats Senegal in World Cup opener

Kylian Mbappe scored an impressive brace, becoming France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals, as Les Bleus began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a thrilling victory over Senegal.

The France captain’s two goals guaranteed there would be no repeat of their 2002 loss to the West Africans, which was Les Bleus’ only opening-game defeat in their last eight World Cup tournaments, highlighting a much stronger second-half performance from the two-time champions.

Pape Thiaw’s team created the initial threat at New York New Jersey Stadium. After Nicolas Jackson’s shot beat Mike Maignan, the ball did not find the net, deflecting off both the post and the goalkeeper. When the ball did go in, Jackson was offside. Ismaila Sarr also missed a good chance, firing over the bar.

Yet Desire Doue’s warning shot after halftime marked the start of the French attack. Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé forced Edouard Mendy into impressive saves. Later, Olise’s smart pass set up Mbappe’s goal, tying Olivier Giroud’s record of 57 goals for France.

Then Mbappe made history by scoring an amazing goal from outside the box. Following substitutions, Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye exchanged impressive goals in the late stages of the match.

Mbappe’s next goal is to surpass Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup finals goals. The French star has scored 14 so far.

For Les Bleus’s head coach, Didier Deschamps, this was his 20th World Cup match as head coach, tying him with Bora Milutinovic, Oscar Tabarez, and Mario Zagallo.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Real Madrid supporters had launched a viral online campaign calling for the departure of French star Kylian Mbappe after two disappointing seasons without major trophies.