Mbappé brace and flute celebration propel France past Senegal 3-1 in World Cup opener
Kylian Mbappé struck twice to become France's all-time top scorer and celebrated with a mimed flute, keeping a promise to James Corden, as Les Bleus laboured to a 3-1 victory over Senegal.
Mbappé double secures France win
France began their World Cup Group I campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday, but only after a testing first half. Senegal unsettled the French early and Didier Deschamps' side went into the interval needing a reset. A tactical adjustment, moving Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise into new positions, unlocked the match. Olise delivered a precise pass inside the box in the 66th minute and Mbappé dinked a deft finish past the goalkeeper. He then completed his brace with a fierce strike from distance to give France a cushion. The result puts the defending champions top of the group ahead of a meeting with Iraq.
Record-breaking night for Mbappé
The two goals were Mbappé's 57th and 58th for the national team, making him France's outright leading scorer. The Real Madrid forward came into the tournament under scrutiny after a difficult season in Spain, but he rejected any talk of a personal vindication.
Mbappé conceded that France were not yet at full stride but underlined the value of a positive start.If I start playing to silence my critics, I'd have to play until I'm 80. I play to mark the history of my country, to make sure my team reaches the final and wins the World Cup.
I don't think we're fully launched, but it's important to start well. All the teams know that the World Cup is unique, so everyone wants to win and give a good image of their country. We saw today it wasn't an easy match, but we know at any moment we can score and make the difference, so that helps.
The flute celebration explained
Mbappé swapped his trademark arms-folded leap for an imaginary flute recital after opening the scoring. The celebration originated in a pre-tournament Fox Sports interview with American host James Corden. Mbappé recounted that his parents had him take flute lessons for one or two years as a child. Corden playfully suggested he could imitate a flutist if he scored, and Mbappé made a promise.
After the ball crossed the line, the forward stopped, raised both hands to his mouth, and mimed a transverse flute, before repeating the gesture for the cameras.I'll do it for you in the first match.
Deschamps relieved after nervy start
Head coach Didier Deschamps admitted his side had been edgy early on.
He described the atmosphere as special and stressed that the team would enjoy the moment.We had a bit of apprehension at the beginning. By changing the positioning of Ousmane and Michael, it changed quite a few things. It's always good to win the first match.
Football is magical when you share these emotions. It's only the first match but we're going to savour it.
What comes next
France face Iraq on Tuesday in their second group fixture. A win would seal a spot in the knockout round, though a draw could also be enough depending on other results. The World Cup continues with further group matches over the coming weeks.
