Two-time FIFA World Cup champions and the last two FIFA World Cup finalists France have started the FIFA World Cup 2026 journey with a 3-1 victory against Senegal in their Group I encounter. Kylian Mbappe created history by scoring two goals, including a stunner.
On Tuesday, France started their journey in the FIFA World Cup 2026, while Kylian Mbappe was one goal away from the record goal-scorer by a Frenchman in World Cup history, as Just Fontaine held the record with 13 goals, which he scored all in the 1958 edition.
Kylian Mbappe's 13th FIFA World Cup goal
Although France and Senegal both failed to score in the first half, where Mbappe was hardly seen in proper touch, everything changed in the second half. Mbappe opened the scoreline in the 66th minute after Michael Olise set him up brilliantly. With this goal, Mbappe equalised the record of Just Fontaine’s 13 World Cup goals, the most World Cup goals for France.
Kylian Mbappe's 14th FIFA World Cup goal
Later, Bradley Barcola settled the 2-0 lead for France in the 82nd minute, while Ibrahim Mbaye scored for Senegal in the stoppage time of the second half. Soon after Mbaye’s goal, while the match was expectedly moving to a late thriller, Mbappe recorded his brace with a stunning shot outside the box, as France secured the 3-1 win in their tournament opener.
With his second goal, Mbappe set a new record for most World Cup goals for France by recording his 14th goal of the tournament. By scoring 14 World Cup goals, Mbappe equalised the record for the third most World Cup goals.
