Hyderabad: France captain Kylian Mbappe became his country’s all time leading scorer as he guided France to a 3 to 1 win over Senegal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Mbappe scored twice and took his tally to 58 international goals. As a result, he moved past Olivier Giroud’s record of 57 goals for France. However, the forward said his main focus remains helping France win another World Cup title.
“I play to make my mark on my country’s history and help France win the World Cup,” Mbappe said after the match.
France opened their campaign with a strong victory against Senegal. The result also helped them avoid a repeat of their shock defeat to Senegal in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup.
Mbappe Leads France to Winning Start
Senegal started brightly and created several chances in the first half. Nicolas Jackson struck the post after beating goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Moreover, Senegal had a goal ruled out for offside. Ismaila Sarr also missed a promising opportunity.
However, France improved after the break. Desire Doue tested Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy early in the second half. Soon after, Michael Olise and Mbappe forced important saves from Mendy.
France finally broke the deadlock when Olise delivered a precise pass to Mbappe. The striker finished confidently and equalled Giroud’s long standing scoring record.
Later, Bradley Barcola added another goal for France. Senegal responded through Ibrahim Mbaye in stoppage time. Nevertheless, Mbappe sealed the victory with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area. The goal also made him France’s highest scorer in international football history.
Meanwhile, Mbappe moved closer to another major milestone. He now has 14 goals in FIFA World Cup finals and trails former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals.
Senegal also had a reason to celebrate despite the defeat. Ibrahim Mbaye became the youngest African player to score in a World Cup match at 18 years and 142 days.
Speaking after the game, Mbaye said Senegal must learn from the defeat and focus on their next match against Norway.
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