Mbappé Rescues France With Record-Equalling Goal in 3-1 Win Over Senegal
France got their World Cup campaign off to a winning — if unconvincing — start on Tuesday, beating Senegal 3-1 in a Group Stage match that laid bare just how disjointed Didier Deschamps’ star-studded attack can look when things aren’t clicking.
For much of the first half, France were second best. Senegal pressed with discipline and created the cleaner opportunities, including a Nicolas Jackson shot that cannoned off the near post of Mike Maignan’s goal. Kylian Mbappé lost the ball repeatedly in advanced areas, and the combination play between him and Ousmane Dembélé in the final third amounted to little more than a series of misread intentions.
According to The Guardian’s match report, the French attack looked every bit like one assembled by “an innately defensive manager who had set up his attackers in positions or roles they don’t play for their clubs.” It was not a flattering assessment, and the French players appeared to know it.
The interval proved the turning point. Deschamps shuffled his forward line, moving Michael Olise into a central position and shifting Dembélé out to the right. The effect was gradual but decisive. France dialled up their intensity, and around the hour mark, the right combinations finally began to click.
In the 66th minute, Olise — now operating centrally — played a perfectly weighted diagonal pass for Mbappé, who slotted calmly past Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. The goal was significant beyond the three points: it equalled Olivier Giroud’s all-time France scoring record of 57 international goals.
Bradley Barcola, on as a substitute for Dembélé, added a third late on after Adrien Rabiot broke into the midfield and played him through. Senegal’s Nicolas Jackson did have a goal — though an earlier effort was ruled offside — but France’s quality in front of goal ultimately proved the difference.
Deschamps was measured in his post-match assessment. “From time to time, you do have a rough start,” he said. “It’s quite hard to meet the high expectation at a World Cup.”
For UK bettors tracking the favourites’ progress, this was a reminder that France’s ceiling remains very high — but their floor can be surprisingly low. Whether Deschamps finds a settled system quickly will matter greatly in the knockout rounds. Keep an eye on the World Cup 2026 hub for the latest group analysis and check the live standings to see how Group stage results are shaping up.