Senegal began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a 3–1 defeat to France in their opening fixture, as Kylian Mbappé broke the French national team scoring record with a brace, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Group I encounter at MetLife Stadium saw France take control after the break, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice between Bradley Barcola’s goal. Mbappé’s second strike saw him become France’s all-time top scorer, while Senegal briefly threatened a response when Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back in stoppage time.
The Teranga Lions delivered a disciplined and energetic first-half display, holding their shape well and competing strongly across the pitch as they limited France’s attacking rhythm for long spells.
Senegal created several clear openings in the first half, with Nicolas Jackson striking the post from a swift counter-attack, Sadio Mané forcing a sharp save from Mike Maignan, and Ismaïla Sarr narrowly missing the target just before the break.
Despite those opportunities, the first half ended goalless, with Senegal left to rue their wastefulness after a bright and energetic attacking display.
France eventually raised their tempo after the restart and made the breakthrough in the 66th minute when Mbappé finished clinically from a Michael Olise assist.
The European side doubled their advantage in the 82nd minute through Bradley Barcola, who came off the bench to finish a quick transition move set up by Adrien Rabiot.
Senegal refused to back down and reduced the deficit in stoppage time when Ibrahim Mbaye reacted quickest inside the box to convert from close range after a fast attacking move involving Iliman Ndiaye. At 18 years and 143 days, he became the youngest African goalscorer in World Cup history.
However, any hopes of a late comeback were ended moments later when Mbappé produced a stunning long-range strike to complete his brace and seal France’s 3–1 victory.
Mbappé’s performance also carried major historical weight, as he moved to 58 international goals and 14 World Cup goals, placing him joint-third on the tournament’s all-time scoring charts behind only Miroslav Klose (16) and Ronaldo (15). He also became the first player to score two or more goals in five different World Cup matches.
The result gives France an early advantage, while Senegal will now look to regroup ahead of their next fixtures against Norway and Iraq.
