Kylian Mbappe powered France to a 3-1 opening win over Senegal on Tuesday, scoring twice and becoming both France’s all-time leading scorer and the country’s top World Cup scorer. In one night, he passed Olivier Giroud and Just Fontaine and added another milestone to his legacy.
The article says there were pre-tournament doubts about Mbappe after he looked out of form in Euro 2024 and appeared sluggish in recent warm-up matches, with some fearing the difficult finish to his Real Madrid season would carry over. Instead, he responded with two superb goals and reminded everyone that, in a World Cup, he arrives at his sharpest.
But the piece argues France’s strength went beyond Mbappe. Didier Deschamps made a decisive halftime adjustment, moving Michael Olise into the playmaking role and shifting Ousmane Dembele to the right. That change made France faster, tighter in midfield, and more dangerous in the final third, especially in the moves leading to Mbappe’s first goal and Bradley Barcola’s strike.
Olise, described as emerging into a major force at Bayern Munich, was praised for his passing, dribbling, leadership, and the brilliant assist that opened the match. The article also notes that Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner, was quiet in his first tournament outing, while France still have strong attacking options off the bench in Rayan Cherki and Barcola.
France had some defensive wobbles, even with good work from William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, but they avoided Senegal’s traps and finished the game with growing confidence. After one match, the team still has room to improve, but the article says the second-half display makes France look like the ideal candidate to return to MetLife Stadium in a month for a third straight World Cup final.
