Nearly a week after the 2026 World Cup began, Group I, France and Senegal finally opened their campaigns at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Fielding one of the most stacked lineups in the tournament (although we said that about Spain too), the French started Mbappé up front, with a row of half-a-billion-dollar attacking midfielders and wingers behind him in Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, and Désiré Doué.

Senegal were never going to be taken lightly, and have had their fair share of upsets in the past. They countered with Mané, Jackson, and Sarr up front.

Here are the takeaways.

The first 45.

I don't know if it's the heat or the humidity, but most of the European teams in this competition haven't gotten off to strong starts. France continued that pattern. That's not a knock on Senegal, who outplayed the French throughout the first half.

The Lions of Teranga had more shots, more touches in the box, more big chances, and a 0.44 xG. Two near misses could've changed the entire trajectory of the game, including one that Maignan nearly bounced into his own net.

Les Bleus had a pedestrian, if not gloomy, 0.02 xG: no big chances, three touches in the opposition box, and one total shot.

On the broadcast, Landon Donovan called the French style of play "arrogant" in the first 45 minutes. Outside of William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Aurélien Tchouaméni, no one on France was playing well.

Kylian Mbappé awakens.

Maybe they just settled in, maybe Didier Deschamps gave a sort of French Hoosiers speech, or maybe France just decided they wanted to play, but the second half was a completely different game.

After a VAR review confirmed no penalty, Mbappé decided he'd score the old-fashioned way, making a run into the box and redirecting a beautiful pass from Michael Olise past Edouard Mendy.

The goal was Mbappé's 13th in World Cup competition, moving him into fourth all time, past Pelé.

After Bradley Barcola replaced Ousmane Dembélé in the 80th minute, the super-sub chipped in his first World Cup goal, set up by Rabiot, and it seemed like the French were happy to take the three points.

That was until Ibrahima Mbaye put Théo Hernández on skates and slotted in a masterful goal to pull one back for Senegal.

Unfortunately for Senegal, Mbappé and Olise weren't done. The Bayern Munich man set up the striker for a screamer from outside the box in the 96th minute.

The 30-yard strike carried just a 0.03 xG, and as his 14th World Cup goal it moved him into third all time. The brace also made Mbappé France's all-time leading scorer, passing Olivier Giroud.

The all-time World Cup goalscorers list

  • 1. Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 16
  • 2. Ronaldo (Brazil) - 15
  • 3. Kylian Mbappé (France) - 14
  • 3. Gerd Müller (West Germany) - 14
  • 4. Just Fontaine (France) - 13
  • 4. Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 13
  • 5. Pelé (Brazil) - 12

The Michael Olise game.

It might be overlooked, but Michael Olise is the headliner here. After starting on the right wing in the first half, Deschamps moved him into a proper No. 10 role in the center, and in turn he set up two goals and four chances. Olise wasn't credited with an assist on the second goal, but if he wasn't pushing through two Senegalese defenders into the middle of the field, the goal never would've been generated.

Olise finished with one assist, two big chances created, two shots on target, and 51 of 57 passes for 89 percent accuracy (according to FotMob). Allez.