Mbappé double sinks Senegal and makes him France's all-time top scorer with 58 goals

A sluggish first half gave way to a second period of controlled dominance as France launched their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium. Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 66th minute and added a long-range strike deep in stoppage time, taking his international tally to 58 and rewriting the record books.

Slow start, Senegal threaten

Senegal started brightly and nearly took the lead in the first quarter. Nicolas Jackson hit the inside of a post after a quick break following an El Hadji Malick Diouf tackle, and Ismaila Sarr fired over the bar just before the interval. France, looking laboured, struggled to create clear chances and Ousmane Dembélé came closest to opening the scoring when he almost dispossessed Édouard Mendy on the edge of the box.

Olise switches the game

Coach Didier Deschamps moved Michael Olise infield from the right after the break, a tactical shift that proved decisive. In the 66th minute, Olise slipped a reverse pass into the path of Mbappé, who darted across the penalty area and placed a precise finish past Mendy. The goal, his 57th for France, drew him level with Giroud as the country's joint all-time top scorer.

Mbappé's record night

Bradley Barcola, on as a substitute, doubled the lead late in the second half. Senegal pulled one back through Ibrahim Mbaye during a chaotic stoppage-time spell, but Mbappé had the final word in the 96th minute, unleashing a powerful strike from distance to make it 3-1 and claim the scoring record outright.

Congratulations Kylian. I'm happy for him. It's a great finish and we are level now, you need to score another one Kylian. It makes sense, it was expected. He will beat every single record - the number of caps and goals. I think he can easily reach 100 goals and maybe beat Miroslav Klose's World Cup record. He's delivered great performances in World Cups and big games.

Climbing the all-time World Cup ladder

Mbappé now has 14 World Cup goals, drawing level with Gerd Müller and leaving behind Pelé (12), Just Fontaine (13) and Lionel Messi (13). Only Miroslav Klose (16) and Ronaldo (15) remain ahead of him. Giroud, who held the French record at 57 after the last tournament, said on BBC One that the 27-year-old was destined to claim every major scoring mark.

Penalty call waved away

Referee Alireza Faghani reviewed a potential penalty in the second half after Sadio Mané slid in on Mbappé and made contact without reaching the ball. After consulting the monitor, Faghani decided the forward had initiated contact and waved play on, leaving Deschamps visibly unimpressed. The incident did not alter the outcome.

What comes next

France sit top of Group I and face Iraq on Monday before a meeting with Erling Haaland’s Norway. The win, played before 80,545 spectators with the Manhattan skyline in the distance, banished memories of the 2002 opening defeat to Senegal that derailed their title defence.