EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — For 66 minutes at MetLife Stadium, the ghost of 2002 hovered over the French national team. Then Kylian Mbappé turned, shot, and exorcised it with a single swing of his right boot.

France 3-1 Senegal. Twenty-four years after Senegal’s infamous 1-0 upset of the defending champions in the 2002 World Cup opener, Les Bleus finally got their revenge. And Mbappé, with two goals that took him to 58 for France — surpassing Olivier Giroud as the nation’s all-time leading scorer — wrote himself deeper into the history books.

The First Half: A Nightmare Revisited

For 45 minutes, it looked like 2002 all over again. Didier Deschamps had named a front four that would make any club manager weep with envy: Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, and Désiré Doué — four players with a combined market value exceeding €400 million. And yet, France managed exactly one shot in the entire first half. Zero on target.

Senegal, by contrast, were electric. Nicolas Jackson struck the post in the 24th minute after a devastating counter-attack. Ismaïla Sarr then missed a golden chance from close range. France were living dangerously, and the half-time whistle felt like a reprieve.

The Second Half: Deschamps’ Adjustment

Whatever Deschamps said in the dressing room worked. More importantly, whatever tactical shift he ordered transformed the game.

The key change was Olise. In the first half, the Bayern Munich midfielder was stationed on the right wing, isolated and ineffective. In the second, he moved into a central playmaking role — and suddenly, France had a heartbeat.

Adrien Rabiot began pushing forward from midfield, providing the progressive passing that had been entirely absent. Mbappé started drifting across the front line, no longer pinned to a central striker role he has never truly embraced.

The chances came quickly. Mbappé was denied by Édouard Mendy in the 57th minute. He went down in the box under a challenge from Sadio Mané in the 63rd, but referee Alireza Faghani waved play on after a VAR check.

The Breakthrough

Then, in the 66th minute, Olise played the pass of the match. A threaded through-ball from the right channel, perfectly weighted, that split the Senegalese defence. Mbappé took one touch to control, turned, and fired low into the far corner. 1-0.

The goal was Mbappé’s 57th for France, moving him past Giroud. One record down.

The Substitute and the Stunner

In the 82nd minute, Rabiot — who had been France’s most improved player in the second half — slid a pass through to Bradley Barcola. The Paris Saint-Germain forward, on the pitch for barely two minutes, lifted the ball over the advancing Mendy with the composure of a veteran. 2-0.

Senegal refused to surrender. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Ibrahima Mbaye danced past Theo Hernández on the right and smashed a shot past Mike Maignan. 2-1. Suddenly, there was hope.

It lasted exactly 60 seconds. From the restart, Olise found Mbappé on the edge of the box. One touch, one shot, one unstoppable finish into the top corner. 3-1. Mbappé’s 58th France goal. His 14th World Cup goal — level with Just Fontaine as France’s all-time World Cup scorer, and level with Gerd Müller in the all-time rankings. Only Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16) stand ahead of him.

The Numbers

France finished with 11 shots, 8 on target. Senegal had 6 shots, 2 on target. The difference was clinical finishing — and Olise, who finished with two assists and was unquestionably the game’s most influential player.

Group I Standings

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 France 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 3
2 Norway 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Iraq 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Senegal 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 0

France face Iraq on June 22 in Philadelphia. Senegal meet Norway the same day in New Jersey — a match that has now become a must-win for the Lions of Teranga.

Match Details:

SHARE 𝕏 f W ✉