EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kylian Mbappe scored his 13th and 14th World Cup goals, both after halftime, to move within two of Miroslav Klose’s all-time record as France survived an uneven first half to outclass Senegal 3-1 in both teams’ World Cup opener on Tuesday.
Mbappe’s brace also moved him to 58 goals all-time for France, a new record in front of Olivier Giroud’s 57.
In between, Bradley Barcola added the other goal for Les Bleus in the Group I encounter, these sides’ first meeting since Senegal’s famous 1-0 upset of their former colonizer to open the 2002 World Cup.
Ibrahim Mbaye pulled a second-half stoppage-time goal back for Senegal. But Mbappe’s second followed a minute after, a thunderous 25-yard effort that knuckled past the diving Edouard Mendy.
That completed a rapturous second half after a ponderous first, and a deserved win for the two-time World Cup champions after looking second-best to their African foes for the opening 45 minutes.
Mbappe’s approach of history will rightly get the attention. But it was Michael Olise who deserved the most credit for reversing France’s fortunes after the interval.
In the 53rd minute, he was in on goal following a Senegal turnover, with his effort denied only by the trailing leg of a lunging Mendy.
In the 57th, his pressure turned into a chance for Mbappe from a similar spot with Mendy making a similar denial.
Mbappe howled for a penalty from Australian referee Alireza Faghani after Sadio Mane’s awkward challenge on the right edge of the area.
The VAR room summoned Faghani to rewatch the episode, but he upheld his decision.
No matter, as France were in front when Olise again got on the ball on the right and played a perfectly timed diagonal pass into the near-post run of Mbappe, who struck a deceptively difficult first-time finish low across his body and between Mendy and the left post.
Barcola made it 2-0 two minutes after coming on when he ran onto Adrien Rabiot’s throughball and finished past Mendy, who was once again stranded.
Mbaye’s powerfully struck finish made for brief nervy moments until Mbappe answered from long range to complete yet another signature performance on the world’s biggest stage.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
