Tag: France

France Begin World Cup Campaign with Convincing Win Over Senegal

NEW JERSEY, June 17 — France launched their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in style with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in their Group I opener at New York Stadium, New Jersey. Despite being pushed hard by the African side, Didier Deschamps' men showed their quality in the second half, with captain Kylian Mbappé leading the charge by scoring twice to secure all three points. Senegal looked the more threatening side during the opening period and came close to taking the lead when Nicolas Jackson struck the post. Moments later, Ismaïla Sarr squandered a golden opportunity after failing to convert Sadio Mané's low cross from close range. France eventually found the breakthrough through Mbappé, who responded positively after a controversial VAR review denied him a penalty. Bradley Barcola then doubled Les Bleus' advantage with a superb chipped finish that left the Senegal goalkeeper helpless. The Lions of Teranga reduced the deficit deep into stoppage time when rising star Ibrahim Mbaye found the net. However, any hopes of a late comeback were quickly extinguished as Mbappé struck again moments later to complete his brace and seal a comfortable 3-1 win. The match also marked a historic night for the French captain. His two goals took his international tally to 58, surpassing Olivier Giroud's previous record of 57 goals to become France's all-time leading scorer. Mbappé further cemented his place in French football history by becoming the country's highest scorer in World Cup history with 14 goals, overtaking the legendary Just Fontaine's tally of 13. The 27-year-old now stands just two goals shy of equalling Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record of 16 goals. Although Senegal suffered defeat, Mbaye achieved a milestone of his own by becoming the youngest African player ever to score at a World Cup, finding the net at the age of 18 years and 143 days. France's victory also carried symbolic significance, erasing memories of their disastrous 2002 World Cup campaign when the defending champions suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the tournament opener before crashing out in the group stage. Les Bleus will next face Iraq on June 22, while Senegal will look to revive their qualification hopes when they take on Norway. -- MINUTESMY

NEW JERSEY, June 17 — France launched their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in style with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in their Group I opener at New York Stadium, New Jersey. Despite being pushed hard by the African side, Didier Deschamps’ men showed their quality in the second half, with captain Kylian Mbappé leading […]