Kylian Mbappé etched his name permanently into French football folklore on Monday as he became France’s all-time leading goalscorer, moving clear of Olivier Giroud on 58 goals.
The first in the 66-minute drew him level with Giroud, before a wonder goal from outside the yard deep into stoppage time sealed both the record and the result.
France earned a composed and convincing 3–1 victory over Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium, opening their Group I campaign with authority.
Senegal briefly pulled one back in the 90’+5 through Ibrahim Mbaye after a scramble in the area, cutting the deficit to 2–1 and injecting late tension into the match but France responded instantly just one minute later, with Mbappé striking again to restore the two-goal cushion and put the result beyond reach.
The win was a statement of intent from Les Bleus, who looked sharp and purposeful once the shackles came off in the second half.
The brace was Mbappé’s 57th and 58th goals for Les Bleus, surpassing Giroud’s benchmark in just his 99th international cap compared to Giroud, who needed 137 appearances to reach 57 goals.
His 14th World Cup goal also saw him surpass Just Fontaine for the French record, leaving him only two goals away from Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s all-time record for most World Cup goals.
