France Beats Senegal 3-1 as Mbappé Makes History

Didier Deschamps needed a spark. He found it in the dressing room at half-time.

France, held and hassled by a sharp Senegal side in their World Cup opener, emerged transformed after the break and forced their way to a 3-1 win, a scoreline that owed as much to tactical tweaks as to the brilliance of Kylian Mbappé.

The forward struck twice to turn the game and, in doing so, moved clear as France’s all-time leading scorer, his tally now standing at 58 goals. Another record, another night when he bent the narrative to his will.

Deschamps adjusted France’s shape after a laboured first period, tightening the midfield and giving Mbappé more freedom to roam into central pockets rather than staying pinned wide. The effect was immediate. France pushed higher, the press bit harder, and Senegal, so assured early on, began to retreat.

The pressure finally cracked them. Mbappé pounced, then pounced again, his movement too sharp, his finishing too cold. France’s opener settled the nerves; the second felt like a familiar script – big tournament, big moment, Mbappé at the heart of it.

Senegal refused to fold and kept asking questions in transition, but France’s control grew with each passing minute. A third goal killed the contest, and by the final whistle Deschamps’ side had turned a tricky opener into a statement of authority, even if it was hard-earned rather than spectacular.

While Mbappé was rewriting history for Les Bleus, Lionel Messi was busy lighting up another stage.

Against Algeria, Messi produced the kind of performance that has defined his international renaissance: decisive, ruthless, utterly in command. Three chances, three goals, a hat-trick that powered Argentina to a commanding win and reminded everyone that, even in the late chapters of his career, he still dictates the tempo of the global game.

The goals came in different forms but carried the same message. Messi drifting between lines, Messi arriving in the box at the perfect moment, Messi finishing with that familiar, brutal calm. Algeria never found an answer; by the time the third went in, they were chasing shadows.

His treble does more than decorate the scoreline. It sharpens the spotlight on Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Portugal side face DR Congo on Wednesday. Messi has already laid down his marker in this tournament, both in numbers and in influence. Mbappé has joined him with a record-breaking brace.

Now the stage tilts toward Ronaldo. With Messi firing and Mbappé climbing into the stratosphere of French football history, what does the Portuguese captain do next?