Mbappé Makes History as France Defeats Senegal 3-1

France had to work for it. Really work for it. But a sharp half-time reset from Didier Deschamps and a ruthless Kylian Mbappé turned a tense opener against Senegal into a 3-1 statement win.

For 45 minutes, Les Bleus looked stuck in second gear. Senegal pressed with conviction, disrupted France’s rhythm and refused to be intimidated by the world champions’ glittering forward line. The African side found spaces in transition, forced errors, and made the favourites look oddly flat.

Deschamps didn’t wait for the game to come to him. He changed it.

The tweaks at the break – both in shape and in France’s pressing triggers – shifted the entire mood. France stepped higher, squeezed Senegal’s build-up, and suddenly the game tilted. The ball moved quicker, the combinations sharpened, and the spaces Mbappé lives for began to open.

The pressure finally told. Mbappé, as he has so often for club and country, took control of the occasion. His first goal dragged France into clear air, his second ripped up another page of the record book: 58 goals, now the country’s all-time leading scorer. At his age, that number feels less like a peak and more like a starting point.

Senegal kept swinging, refusing to fold even as the French attacks came in waves. They found a way onto the scoresheet and forced France to stay honest until the closing stages, but the extra quality in both boxes decided it. By the final whistle, the scoreline reflected France’s authority in the second half more than the early struggle.

Messi's Hat-Trick

While Mbappé was rewriting history in one stadium, Lionel Messi was busy bending another game entirely to his will.

Argentina’s captain produced a hat-trick against Algeria, a reminder that his sense of timing on the international stage remains unmatched. Every touch carried purpose, every finish carried weight. It wasn’t just about the goals; it was about the message. Argentina, with Messi in this mood, are not easing their way into this tournament. They are accelerating into it.

The ripple effect stretches far beyond Buenos Aires. Performances like that inevitably echo in Portugal’s camp, where Cristiano Ronaldo prepares for DR Congo on Wednesday. Messi has put his marker down early. Mbappé has underlined his status as the heir apparent with a national record.

Now the question hangs over the next heavyweight to enter the ring: how will Ronaldo respond?