Kylian Mbappe leads France to 3-1 win over Senegal at 2026 World Cup, breaking Olivier Giroud’s scoring record
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.