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FIFA World Cup 2026: Tournament favourites France delivered a blistering second half offensive showcase to cruise to a commanding 3-1 victory over African powerhouses Senegal in their highly anticipated Group I opening encounter at the New York New Jersey Stadium. The victory earned three vital points but also exorcised the demons of the 2002 World Cup when Senegal famously stunned Les Bleus in a historic opener.

The first 45 minutes though told a very different story. Initially, Didier Deschamps’s men had struggled to break down a stubborn, disciplined Senegalese low block. Senegal had the best chances before the break. Star forward Nicolas Jackson rattled the frame of the goal while winger Ismaïla Sarr blazed a glorious close-range opening well over the crossbar to preserve a tense, scoreless deadlock at the interval.

The complexion of the game changed completely after tactical changes at the interval, with playmaker Michael Olise taking total creative control in the middle of the park. Breakthrough came in the 65th minute. Olise sliced through the defensive line with a beautifully weighted, angled pass, finding the flashing run of captain Kylian Mbappé. The talismanic striker left no doubt, sliding in a first-time finish past a desperate Édouard Mendy to open the scoring.

Senegal immediately answered back with aggression. Minutes later, Nicolas Jackson thundered a strike into the back of the net but the assistant referee’s flag cut short the wild celebrations for a fractional offside. Sensing a tiring defence, Deschamps brought in some fresh legs with young forward Bradley Barcola coming on. The decision paid off straight away in the 81st minute, Adrien Rabiot charged through the middle and threaded a sharp vertical pass into space which gave an unmarked Barcola the chance to slide a cool finish in.

The final minutes became pure football theatricality. Senegal substitute Ibrahim Mbaye, 18, displayed tremendous power deep into stoppage time to get around a diving Theo Hernández and finish past Mike Maignan for a late 2-1 lifeline for Senegal.

But, the night belonged to French football history. Seconds later, from the kick-off itself, Olise played Mbappé in, he cut in sharply and fired an absolute 30-yard rocket into the top corner. Mbappé’s 58th international goal, the stunning strike, moved him clear of Olivier Giroud to stand alone as France’s all-time top goalscorer.

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