Kylian Mbappé breaks France scoring record and closes on World Cup mark with double in 3-1 win over Senegal

Record night for Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé became France's outright all-time leading scorer on Tuesday, netting a second-half brace in a 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium. His 58 international goals, reached in his 99th appearance, took him past Olivier Giroud's mark of 57. The double also lifted Mbappé to 14 World Cup goals, matching Germany's Gerd Müller and leaving him two short of the 16-goal record shared by Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi.

I'm very happy to be able to enter a little more into the history of my country, it's something I always wanted to do… But I will have time to think about that later, when I stop playing.

How the match unfolded

Senegal started with far greater intensity, Nicolas Jackson striking the post and Ismaila Sarr blasting over from close range. France struggled for rhythm in the first half, with Mbappé misplacing passes and finding little room. Coach Didier Deschamps switched Michael Olise into a central role after the break, and the move paid off. Olise slipped a pass behind the defence for Mbappé, who finished coolly in the 66th minute.

Substitute Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute, converting after Adrien Rabiot's driving run. Senegal pulled one back through Ibrahim Mbaye in stoppage time, but Mbappé responded instantly with a fierce strike from outside the box to seal the win and the record.

Breaking records and chasing history

Mbappé's 14 World Cup goals have come in 15 matches across three tournaments. He scored four in Russia 2018 (including one in the final), claimed the Golden Boot with eight in Qatar 2022, and has two already in the 2026 edition. The tally takes him past Just Fontaine (13) and Lionel Messi (13), level with Gerd Müller (14), and behind Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16).

Olivier Giroud, working as a pundit, congratulated his former teammate.

Congrats, Kylian. You made it. I'm really happy for him.

Deschamps: 'He does a lot for the group'

Didier Deschamps defended his captain against criticism over his work rate, stressing that Mbappé's role is to decide matches rather than to defend.

He is out of the ordinary. He does a lot for the group even if people outside think he is selfish.

The coach also pointed to the tactical adjustment involving Olise as key to unlocking Senegal's defence, allowing the creative midfielder to find forward runners with his passing.

Looking ahead

France next face Iraq in Philadelphia on Monday before concluding Group I against Norway in Boston on June 26. Deschamps, who is managing his final tournament after 14 years in charge, will expect the attacking depth that also includes Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Marcus Thuram and Rayan Cherki to sustain the team's push for a third world title.