Mbappé sets record as France overcome Senegal in WC opener

Kylian Mbappe secured his place in footballing history by becoming France's all-time leading goalscorer during a 3-1 victory over Senegal in their World Cup opener in New Jersey. The 27-year-old Real Madrid forward broke the national record by scoring twice in the second half, taking his international tally to 58 goals to surpass the previous milestone held by Olivier Giroud. The historic performance also moved the striker to 14 career World Cup goals, placing him level with German legend Gerd Muller and just two behind the all-time tournament record held by Miroslav Klose.

The African nation initially threatened to repeat their famous 2002 World Cup upset against Les Bleus, dominating the first half and restricting Didier Deschamps' star-studded attack to just three touches inside the penalty area. Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson struck the post before the break, while Ismaila Sarr missed a clear opportunity from a Sadio Mane cross on the stroke of half-time. France returned with renewed intensity after the interval, despite a controversial decision by referee Alireza Faghani to deny a penalty after a Video Assistant Referee review of a challenge on the French captain.

The deadlock finally broke in the second half when Michael Olise assisted the opening goal for the French skipper, before Bradley Barcola extended the lead to 2-0 following a pass from Adrien Rabiot. Eighteen-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye briefly revived Senegalese hopes by scoring a powerful late effort to become the youngest African goalscorer in World Cup history. However, any hopes of a late comeback ended deep into stoppage time when the French captain rifled home a sensational 25-yard strike to secure all three points for the two-time world champions.

-BBC