France rides on Mbappe wave as captain strikes twice to down Senegal

Senegal showed their quality in the first half, but France demonstrated why they are among the favourites to win the World Cup as Les Bleus secured a 3-1 victory in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I clash at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

Captain Kylian Mbappe and substitute Bradley Barcola were on target for France.

It was Mbappe's strike in the 66th minute that changed the complexion of the game. France shifted into attack mode after the restart, piling pressure on the Senegal defence, which held firm until that point. Michael Olise spotted an opening and threaded a precise through ball into the penalty area.

Mbappe timed his run perfectly to beat the defender and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to put France ahead.

Shortly afterwards, France coach Didier Deschamps introduced Barcola in place of Ousmane Dembele, and the substitution paid immediate dividends. In the 82nd minute, Adrien Rabiot chipped a ball into the penalty area and Barcola met it with a composed finish to double France's advantage.

After conceding the second goal, Senegal struggled to mount a response and rarely threatened the French defence until stoppage time.

In the third minute of added time, Ibrahim Mbaye sparked a move forward, drove into the attacking third and unleashed a shot that gave French goalkeeper Mike Maignan little chance, reducing the deficit and briefly raising hopes of a late comeback.

However, Mbappe had the final say. Just a minute later, the France captain latched onto a pass from Olise and fired past Mendy to restore his side's two-goal cushion. The strike was Mbappe's 58th goal for France in his 99th appearance, and he became the country's all-time leading goalscorer, overcoming Oliver Giroud.

Meanwhile, Olise was at the heart of France's attacking play throughout the second half and repeatedly caused problems for the Senegal defence. In the 52nd minute, he drove into the penalty area and unleashed a shot, but Mendy was equal to the effort. The winger also picked out Mbappe with another incisive pass minutes later, though the captain was unable to convert the opportunity.

The second half was marked by relentless French pressure. After managing just one shot and failing to register an effort on target in the opening 45 minutes, France returned from the break with renewed urgency and began creating chances at regular intervals.

The statistics reflected France's dominance after the interval. Les Bleus registered 10 shots in the second half alone, with eight of them on target, as they overwhelmed Senegal and began their World Cup campaign with a convincing victory.

By contrast, the first half was a different story. The Lions of Teranga fiercely guarded their territory and also ventured forward whenever opportunities arose. However, despite several promising counter-attacks, they were unable to find a way past the French defence, which remained alert.

A golden chance for Senegal came just before the half-time whistle when Sarr got an open chance inside the box, but he kicked the ball above the bar, with the fans standing in disbelief and a sigh of relief for France.

After the opening whistle, France took some time to settle into the contest, allowing Senegal to enjoy the brighter start. The Lions of Teranga won the game's first corner in the third minute and looked dangerous whenever they ventured into the French final third.

Senegal's first real chance arrived in the seventh minute through Nicolas Jackson. Moments later, Ismaila Sarr had the Senegal fans on their feet as he surged forward on a promising run into the attacking third, providing another encouraging sign for Pape Thiaw's side in the early exchanges.

France appeared unsettled for much of the opening phase but gradually found their rhythm around the 15th minute. Didier Deschamps' men began to control possession in midfield, patiently moving the ball around and looking for openings in the Senegal defence.

In the 19th minute, Ousmane Dembele had France's first notable effort on goal, but his shot was blocked inside the box by the Senegal defence. Kylian Mbappe also showed flashes of danger, though the France captain struggled to make a decisive impact in the final third due to some loose touches.

Senegal came closest to opening the scoring in the 25th minute. Jackson burst past his marker and drove towards goal before unleashing a shot from just outside the penalty area that rattled the crossbar.

France had painful memories of facing Senegal coming to the match. The two sides first met at the 2002 tournament, when Senegal pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history by defeating the then-world and European champions 1-0 in the opening match. Papa Bouba Diop scored the winner as the tournament debutants stunned the footballing world.

More than two decades later, France had their revenge. And the bitter fact for Senegal is that their head coach, Pape Thiaw, who was part of the 2002 team, had to stand at the receiving end this time.