France's Bleus seal the deal with Mbappe in 2nd half against Senegal's Lions of Teranga

France sealed the deal against Senegal 3-1 with an electric second-half performance by Kylian Mbappe in their Group I match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the New York New Jersey Stadium in the US.

In the first 45 minutes of what pundits considered the toughest matchup of the group, neither side managed to get a convincing lead over the other.

After a slow start in the first half for both teams, France and Senegal amped it up in the second half. France took the lead in the 66th minute when Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe scored his 57th goal in his 99th international appearance, equaling Olivier Giroud’s France record.

France doubled its lead in the 82nd minute with Bradley Barcola dinking the ball over goalkeeper Edouard Mendy for his fourth goal for France in his World Cup debut.

As the game was coming to a close, Ibrahim Mbaye gave Senegal a faint glimmer of hope with his goal in the 90+5 minute, throwing Les Bleus into a panic. However, a minute later, Mbappe sealed the deal, scoring France’s third and his 58th goal to set a new French record.

As a result of the game, France rose to the top of Group I while Senegal sank to the bottom.