World Cup: Mbappe, Barcola star as France downs Senegal in thrilling opener
Kylian Mbappé endured an evening of mixed fortunes, missing a spate of clear chances before popping up with a brace as France raced to a 3-1 win over Senegal in their group opener on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
The Real Madrid striker scored in the 65th minute, before substitute Bradley Barcola added a second late on as Didier Deschamps’ side claimed a massive victory to get their World Cup off to a flyer. Mbappe sealed his brace in the added time moments after substitute Ibrahim Mbaye had scored for the African champions.
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It was, however, a performance far from clinical and fluid for Les Bleus. The pre-tournament favorites struggled to impose themselves in front of over 80,000 fans at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, only coming to life in the second half thanks to the Real Madrid talisman.
The French are now top of their group, with Norway and Iraq clashing later in the other group match.
Earlier, Nicolas Jackson claimed the first clear-cut scoring chance after racing into the box, but his shot came off the underside of the bar and deflected off keeper Mike Maignan for a corner. A second chance fell to Ismaïla Sarr minutes later, but the Crystal Palace man could not keep his composure, firing over the bar from a Sadio Mané pass as the Lions of Teranga maintained dominance and asserted themselves in the game.
At the other end, Mbappé failed to latch onto a ball after beating the offside trap, leaving the expectant French crowd ruing the missed opportunity. The French team remained largely second best and failed to deliver in the final third, despite boasting an array of stars like UEFA Champions League-winning duo Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé leading the line alongside Michael Olise and Mbappé.
The African champions maintained their momentum with quick, decisive play and should have headed into the break in front with the final kick of the first half, but Sarr failed to keep his shot down from inside the box with only Maignan to beat from six yards out.
Mendy keeps Senegal alive
The second half began with Édouard Mendy coming up clutch with two point-blank saves, denying Michael Olise before also frustrating an increasingly vexed Mbappé in a one-on-one situation.
With France finally pulling the strings through Bayern Munich ace Olise, Mbappé was left frustrated again after just failing to reach a perfectly weighted pass after the winger set him up in the 63rd minute.
Nevertheless, the French took the lead in a packed New Jersey stadium.
Unsurprisingly, it was Olise who played an incisive pass toward the box, which Mbappé cleverly flicked home for a brilliant opener. The strike saw the Frenchman equal the 57-goal milestone for France, joining compatriot Olivier Giroud as the joint-leading national team goalscorer. His second goal places him as the outright lead scorer.
Jackson disallowed goal
The goal sparked a dramatic few minutes. Jackson hit a thunderbolt equaliser that was rightly ruled out for offside after he had veered just ahead of the French rearguard before the ball was played.
Substitute Bradley Barcola then finished off a brilliant counterattack, lobbing Mendy with a sublime dink barely a couple of minutes after coming on in the 80th minute.
Mbappé completes brace
The eight minutes of added time provided a highly dramatic ending. Senegal’s substitute, Ibrahim Mbaye, joined Barcola on the scoresheet with a superb shot moments after coming on.
The last laugh, however, belonged to the French captain. Mbappé beat Mendy for a second time, this time with an unstoppable shot from outside the box to seal the win. Senegal will now seek to make amends against Norway in their next match, while France takes on Iraq.
