Amid controversy, Mbappé overtakes Pelé and Messi, moves closer to World Cup rule
France began the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3â1 win against Senegal, with Kylian MbappĂ© scoring two goals, making him the national team's all-time top scorer.
France started its journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday (16) with a 3-1 win against Senegal. This victory was difficult for Les Blues and took a lot of effort. Actually, the sun was very bright in New Jersey, America. Apart from the challenge posed by Senegal, France's stars like Olisse, Douay and MbappĂ© missed good chances in the first half. But the Real Madrid star came on in the second half to give the reigning world runners-up a reprieve when he received a pass in the box from Olise and scored at the first attempt. MbappĂ© then scored another goal in stoppage time, making him the France national team's all-time top scorer with 58 goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud. PSG star Barcola also scored against Senegal. Then, in stoppage time, Mbaye scored a beautiful goal for Senegal, and MbappĂ© responded with a rocket from outside. With his two goals, MbappĂ© moved past PelĂ© (12 goals), Lionel Messi and Justin Fontaine (13 goals) to join Germany's Gerd MĂŒller on the tally of 14 goals. The French star is now chasing Brazil's Ronaldo Phenomenon (15 goals) and Germany's Miroslav Klose (16 goals) to establish his "reign" at the World Cup. Before the first goal was scored, France appealed for a penalty on MbappĂ©. In this game, the referee did not give any foul for Sadio ManĂ©'s sliding challenge on the Real Madrid star. So, what do you say? Would you have given a penalty, or did MbappĂ© fake a fall? Share your opinion in the comments! With its first three points, France moves to the top of Group I, while Senegal is at the bottom. Iraq and Norway will also face each other this Tuesday (16) at 7 pm BrasĂlia time. In the second round, Les Blues will face Iraq next Monday (22), while Haaland and his team will face Senegal on the same day.
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- (Mundial 2026)