Mbappé’s Brace Lifts France Past Senegal in World Cup Opener
Kylian Mbappé responded to an early miss and a denied penalty with a spectacular two-goal performance that carried France to a 3-1 win over Senegal in the opening match of Group 9 at the World Cup in New Jersey. The article says Mbappé took the setbacks personally and quickly settled the score with a brace that once again underlined his big-game reputation.
The 27-year-old’s two goals moved him into third place on the World Cup’s all-time scoring list with 14, passing Pelé and Lionel Messi and matching Gerd Müller. He is now only behind Ronaldo of Brazil, who has 15, and Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who leads with 16. Mbappé also overtook Olivier Giroud to become France’s all-time leading scorer, with 58 goals in 99 appearances, compared with Giroud’s 57 in 137 caps.
About 80,000 spectators filled MetLife Stadium, overwhelmingly in French colors, while several thousand Senegalese fans in New York tried to create a home atmosphere. Senegal was one of four World Cup teams not allowed to bring supporters from home because of the U.S. entry ban imposed by the Trump administration. The article estimates the Senegalese community in the U.S. at 18,000 to 25,000, with roughly half living in New York, especially in Harlem’s “Little Senegal.”
France entered the match under the usual World Cup pressure, but the first half was flat and left the team looking lifeless in the heat and noisy, American-style stadium environment. Senegal carried a historic edge, as France still remembers the shock 1-0 loss to Senegal at the 2002 World Cup, but the second half showed France settling in and Mbappé again dominating the stage.
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