Mbappe becomes France's record scorer as Les Bleus open with 3-1 win over Senegal
A sputtering start gave way to a statement from the favourites. Mbappe scored twice, including an outrageous late strike, to move clear of Olivier Giroud as France's all-time leading scorer.
France began their World Cup the way the favourites were supposed to, and they did it with a piece of history attached. Les Bleus saw off a spirited Senegal 3-1, and the night belonged to Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice to move clear of Olivier Giroud and become France's all-time leading goalscorer.
It was not all smooth. The first half was a sputtering, keenly fought contest in which Senegal more than held their own, and for a while this looked like it might be the kind of awkward opener that trips up a fancied side. Then France found their rhythm, and the gap in quality began to show. The second period was a display of physical intensity and technical control that few teams on the planet can live with, and once the favourites clicked, the result rarely felt in doubt.
Mbappe and Olise take over
The breakthrough came just after the hour, and it was made by the two men who shaped the night. Michael Olise, increasingly influential operating through the middle, threaded a superb pass for Mbappe to run onto and finish, and from that moment the contest tilted decisively. Olise's playmaking gave France a creative hub Senegal could not contain, and it set the tone for everything that followed.
Bradley Barcola, on from the bench, made it two with a clever finish after an inch-perfect ball from Adrien Rabiot, and although Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back to give Senegal hope, Mbappe had the final word in the most emphatic way. His second was an outrageous strike from distance in added time, arrowed into the top corner to seal the points and, with it, the record. He now stands alone on 58 goals for his country, a remarkable tally for a player still in his twenties.
An ominous marker
For the rest of the field, this was a warning. France did not need to be at their best to win comfortably, and the ease with which they pulled away once they found their gear is exactly what makes them such a threat. A team that can stutter for forty-five minutes and still produce a procession in the second half is a daunting prospect over seven games.
Senegal, for their part, will not be too downhearted. They competed hard, refused to fold even when France took control, and showed enough to suggest they can trouble others in the group. But the story of the night was a French side ticking into life and a captain rewriting his country's record books. If this was France merely warming up, the contenders have plenty to think about.