Report, result and goals as Mbappe competes with football in the World Cup
France overcame a frustrating first half to kick off their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal at the MetLife Stadium, powered by a brilliant second-half response from Kylian Mbappe.
Senegal were the better side before the break and threw away many chances to take control, but Les Bleus finally found their rhythm after the break, with Mbappe scoring twice and Bradley Barcola adding a fine second as Didier Deschamps’ side secured all three points.
Senegal starts strongly
The first 45 minutes belonged to Senegal. France’s star-studded attack struggled to click into gear, producing very little creativity while the African champions often threatened on the counter.
Ismaila Sarr and Nicolas Jackson both caused problems, the latter coming close when a good ball from Malick Diouf gave him a clear run. Jackson’s effort hit the post, bounced off Mike Maignan and somehow swerved around, sparing France a huge scare.
Senegal should have taken the lead shortly before the break. Sadio Mane burst down the left and found Sarr six yards from goal, but the Crystal Palace winger blazed over the crossbar with a goal at his mercy.
France woke up in the second half
France appeared with great urgency after the restart. Desire Doue shot wide before Michael Olise and Mbappe both forced Edouard Mendy into a crucial save as the pressure began to mount.
The biggest controversy of the game came after an hour when Mbappe appeared to be cut down by Mane inside the area. Despite an extensive VAR review, referee Alireza Faghani decided not to award the penalty, leaving the French captain frustrated.
This decision seemed to encourage Mbappe a lot. Four minutes later, France finally broke the deadlock.
Olise put in a perfectly weighted pass on the right side of the penalty area and Mbappe timed his run before steering the first play past Mendy into the far corner.
The goal brought France to life and marked Mbappe’s 57th international goal, bringing him level with Olivier Giroud as the nation’s top goalscorer.
Les Bleus extinguish hopes of a comeback
Senegal thought they had responded quickly when Jackson smashed home from just inside the area, but the celebrations were cut short by an offside flag. France continued to look dangerous and eventually doubled their advantage with eight minutes remaining.
Adrien Rabiot produced a brilliant ball that broke Senegal apart, allowing Bradley Barcola to break in down the left before lofting his ball over Mendy for a 2-0 lead.
That seemed to settle the contest, but there was still drama to come later. Senegal got a goal back in stoppage time when Ibrahim Mbaye’s substitute missed his mark and shot past Maignan, whose hand was able to help the ball into the net.
Any hopes of a dramatic comeback were almost quickly dashed, however, when Mbappe took the ball 35 yards from goal and scored the goal of the tournament so far.
It gave France the victory they wanted to quickly top their group and set a mark for the entire tournament.
