Later today, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will get underway. There are two matches on Thursday’s docket: Host team Mexico gets things started against South Africa, while a little later South Korea will square off with Czechia. And in short order, the other 44 teams will join the fray. Here, we are keeping track on […]
With a brace against Senegal in the 2026 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe turned into France's top goalscorer. Kylian Mbappe netted a stunning brace in France‘s 2026 World Cup opener against Senegal on Monday. Beyond securing a crucial victory for Les Bleus, the performance officially vaulted Mbappe past Olivier Giroud to become the standalone all-time leading scorer in French national team history. In a match where France created the lion’s share of high-quality chances, Michael Olise unlocked the defense with a brilliant through ball, setting up Mbappe for a clinical, first-time finish that finally beat Edouard Mendy, who had pulled off multiple heroic saves earlier in the night. MAGIC MBAPPÉ 🇫🇷He scores his first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for France pic.twitter.com/HcLPFkkp4X— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 16, 2026 Then, with France nursing a 2-1 lead deep into stoppage time, Mbappe unleashed a thunderous strike from well outside the box, picking out the top corner with an unstoppable effort past Mendy to seal the 3-1 scoreline against Senegal. The historic brace marked Mbappe’s 57th and 58th goals for Les Bleus, eclipsing Giroud’s career benchmark in just his 99th international cap. Absolute GOLAZO from Mbappé! 🇫🇷Kylian Mbappé is now France's ALL-TIME leading goalscorer pic.twitter.com/5phfectcIY— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 16, 2026 By comparison, Giroud, who has already retired from international duty, needed 137 appearances to reach his mark of 57 goals. At just 27 years old, Mbappe has already shattered one of his nation’s most monumental milestones and is poised to push the record to unfathomable heights as France continues its group-stage campaign. Mbappe has long since surpassed French icons like Thierry Henry (51), Antoine Griezmann (44), and Michel Platini (41), but the most staggering stat is the massive production gap between him and his current international teammates. Of the other 25 players on France’s World Cup roster, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele are the next closest active scorers with just seven goals apiece, a jaw-dropping disparity that underscores just how pivotal the superstar forward is to Les Bleus‘ title defense. Mbappe keeps smashing World Cup records When stacked up against France’s legendary goalscorers, the defining differentiator is Mbappe’s unparalleled dominance on soccer’s biggest stage. Since making his tournament debut in 2018, no player has been more prolific, a run highlighted by his Golden Boot-winning performance at the 2022 edition in Qatar. Now, just one match into the 2026 tournament, the French captain has rewritten the history books yet again, bypassing some of the game’s most iconic figures to climb into a tie for third on the World Cup’s all-time scoring list. With his latest double, Mbappe now sits at 14 career World Cup goals, trailing only Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16) and Brazil’s Ronaldo (15). His stoppage-time strike drew him level with Die Mannschaft legend Gerd Müller while officially breaking his tie with international icons Lionel Messi and Just Fontaine (13), as well as Pelé (12).
France and Senegal played a fairly competitive match. However, Kylian Mbappé sealed the 3-1 victory for Les Bleus at the 2026 World Cup, scoring twice to break Olivier Giroud's scoring record. France managed to defeat Senegal in their debut at the 2026 World Cup. Although the match was quite even in the first half, Didier Deschamps managed to turn the situation around in the second half. By adjusting tactical details, they regained control of the match, pressing Senegal inside their own area. In addition, a brace from Kylian Mbappé was key to securing Les Bleus’ victory and surpassing Olivier Giroud’s goal-scoring record. Senegal managed to give France a great match. In the first half, they were able to be the protagonists, dominating possession and pressing high. Sadio Mané and Nicolas Jackson shone offensively, leading the counterattacks and creating great chances to score. Despite this, both failed in front of goal, missing key opportunities. In the second half, everything fell apart and they were outplayed. Although head coach Didier Deschamps did not make changes to his lineup, he did reorganize the team’s tactical approach. By gaining more control in midfield through Adrien Rabiot and Michael Olise, they managed to pressure Senegal and force them into a defensive role. In addition, they constantly found space in the opposition’s back line. Taking advantage of those gaps, they bet on through balls that completely broke apart the defense with Kylian Mbappé brilliance. Barcola and Mbaye goals overshadowed by Mbappé’s brace After a fairly even first half, France imposed themselves on Senegal, pressing high and forcing mistakes in the opposition defense. Because of this, Pape Thiaw’s team left more spaces in their defense, something Michael Olise took advantage of, threading a pass through to Kylian Mbappé. After winning the race against the defenders, he found himself in a 1v1 against Edouard Mendy, firing a powerful shot to give his national team the first goal. MAGIC MBAPPÉ 🇫🇷He scores his first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for France pic.twitter.com/HcLPFkkp4X— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 16, 2026 Both Bradley Barcola of France and Ibrahim Mbaye of Senegal managed to score in the final minutes. However, Mbappé managed to score a second goal, overshadowing the other goals. After recovering the ball in midfield, the 27-year-old star dribbled past several defenders and unleashed an impressive long-range shot, leaving Edouard Mendy with no chance of making the save. Absolute GOLAZO from Mbappé! 🇫🇷Kylian Mbappé is now France's ALL-TIME leading goalscorer pic.twitter.com/5phfectcIY— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 16, 2026 Kylian Mbappé did not have a brilliant first half, going largely unnoticed. However, he managed to turn his performance around by scoring an important brace. With this, he becomes France’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Olivier Giroud with 58 goals. In addition, he reaches 14 World Cup goals, leaving him just one goal away from equaling Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
"If I wanted to silence all the critics, I have to play until I'm 80." Kylian Mbappé fires back after breaking France's all-time scoring record against Senegal. Kylian Mbappe used his post-match press conference at the New York/New Jersey Stadium to deliver a defiant message to his critics. Having just guided France to a 3-1 victory over Senegal in their 2026 World Cup opener, the newly crowned all-time top scorer for Les Bleus made it clear he is unfazed by outside noise. The French captain put on a clinic in the second half, scoring a vital brace to rewrite his country’s history books. Yet, it was his post-match comments regarding his public perception that stole the headlines after the final whistle. When asked by reporters if his record-breaking performance was a statement to silence those who have questioned his recent club form or leadership, Mbappe dismissed the notion entirely. “I’m not playing for revenge,” Mbappe stated cleanly. “If I wanted to silence all the critics, I have to play until I’m 80 years old.” The forward emphasized that trying to satisfy every media pundit or fan opinion is an impossible task. Instead, he reinforced that his primary source of motivation comes from the honor of representing his nation on the absolute highest platform. “I’m only focused on doing my best for my country,” he added, aiming to put any lingering media narratives to rest. “That’s it. Full focus on that.” Outlasting legends in the record books After a sluggish, scoreless opening 45 minutes from France, Mbappe unlocked the stubborn Senegalese defense in the 66th minute by converting a sharp through ball from Michael Olise. While Bradley Barcola added insurance and Senegal pulled one back through Ibrahim Mbaye, Mbappe saved his finest moment for last. In the 97th minute of stoppage time, he unleashed a blistering 30-yard strike past Édouard Mendy to seal the 3-1 scoreline. The stunning final goal was his 58th for France, officially moving him past Olivier Giroud to become the standalone leading goalscorer in French international soccer history. The brace also elevated him past Just Fontaine as France’s highest-ever scorer in World Cups with 14 goals, putting him just two shy of Miroslav Klose’s absolute tournament record of 16. “Congrats, Kylian, you made it. I’m really happy for him,” Giroud told the BBC. “He deserves it.” France will look to build on their winning start when they face Iraq in their second Group I match on June 22.
In their first encounter since 2002, France were hoping to get one over on Senegal after the African nation pulled off a shock the last time they both met at the World Cup. The opening fixture for Les...
This was an ominous start from the World Cup favourites. A spluttering first-half performance gave way to a second period characterised by a combination of physical intensity and technical ability that few club sides, never mind nations, can match. Add on a record-breaking double for Kylian Mbappé and some superlative playmaking from Michael Olise and this was very much a job well done for Les Bleus.After Mbappé tucked away a superb Olise pass just after the hour, a match that had started as a keenly fought contest faded away into a procession. When the captain crashed his second of the day past Édouard Mendy in a chaotic period of added time, he secured both victory and his place as France’s all-time leading scorer, a 58th goal for his country edging him ahead of Olivier Giroud. Continue reading...
