Mbappé Double Puts France on Top as Senegal’s Second-Half Fightback Falls Short

Kylian Mbappé scored twice to move level with Lionel Messi on 13 World Cup goals, as France avenged their 2002 defeat with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in New Jersey.

Kylian Mbappé delivered a clinical brace on Tuesday as France overcame a sluggish first-half display to defeat Senegal 3-1 in their Group I opener at the New York New Jersey Stadium, avenging their infamous 1-0 defeat to the Teranga Lions from the 2002 World Cup opener.

Senegal thoroughly outworked a sloppy France side in the opening 45 minutes. Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock, rattling the post with a low drive that completely beat French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Early in the second half, France was denied a controversial penalty after a lengthy video review, with the referee sent to the monitor before overturning the decision. The call lit a fire under the European powerhouses.

The breakthrough arrived in the 66th minute. Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise delivered an otherworldly, masked pass that completely split the Senegalese defence, allowing Mbappé to turn in a clinical finish.

Super-sub Bradley Barcola entered the pitch for Ousmane Dembélé in the 80th minute. Just two minutes later, he ran onto an Adrien Rabiot through-ball to beautifully chip Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy and double France’s lead.

Stoppage time produced chaos. In the 95th minute, PSG teenager Ibrahim Mbaye gave Senegal a lifeline by blasting a spectacular strike past Maignan. However, just 60 seconds later, Mbappé responded instantly with a thumping rocket from distance into the top-left corner to put the game to bed.

France finished with 12 shots, nine on target, while Senegal managed seven shots, three on target. Both sides registered identical passing accuracy of 87 percent.

An analysis by Accra Street Journal noted that with his double, Mbappé reached 13 career World Cup goals, level with Lionel Messi and just three goals shy of Miroslav Klose’s all-time tournament scoring record of 16. The result also maintained France’s streak of not losing a World Cup opening match since that 2002 fixture. For Senegal, the late comeback attempt showed fight, but Mbappé’s instant response extinguished any hope of a point.

Source: Accra Street Journal