Mbappe Brace Seals France's Dominant World Cup Opener Against Senegal
June 16, 2026 ยท By yayscore Newsroom
Updated:
Published by Yayscore LTD. Match data from licensed providers.
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Kylian Mbappe scored twice, including a late goal, as France secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over Senegal in their World Cup Group Stage opener.
France began their World Cup campaign strongly, overcoming Senegal with a 3-1 win. The match remained goalless for much of the game, setting up a tense finish before the French attack burst into life in the final quarter of an hour. Senegal showed flashes of promise but ultimately succumbed to the superior firepower of the 2022 World Cup runners-up.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 66th minute when Kylian Mbappe found the net for France, assisted by Michael Olise. Just 16 minutes later, substitute Bradley Barcola provided the assist for another French goal, this time scored by Adrien Rabiot, doubling their lead. Senegal pulled one back deep into stoppage time (90+5') through Ibrahima Mbaye, assisted by Iliman Ndiaye, offering a glimmer of hope.
However, any thoughts of a dramatic comeback were swiftly quashed. Less than a minute later (90+6'), Kylian Mbappe struck again, securing his brace and France's third goal to restore the two-goal cushion and ensure the victory. This late flurry of goals underscored France's attacking depth and efficiency when it mattered most, as evidenced by their 8 shots on goal compared to Senegal's 2.
This victory puts France in a strong position in their group, demonstrating their title credentials early on. For Senegal, despite the loss, the late goal could offer some morale, but they will need to tighten their defence and find more ways to penetrate opposition lines in future matches to progress from the group stage.