Kylian Mbappé turned a frustrating start into a record-breaking night for France, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday and moving past Olivier Giroud to become the country's all-time goal leader. The forward finished with 58 career international goals, a mark that also keeps him among the most prolific scorers in World Cup history.
The reason people are looking at Saliba now is not just the scoreline, but what it changed. Mbappé now has 14 career World Cup goals and is tied for fourth on the all-time list, one behind Ronaldo and two behind Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi, a reminder that every goal he adds pulls France deeper into the sport's scoring race as the tournament moves on.
That outcome was far from obvious in the first half. France had only one shot before the break and none of them were on goal, while Mbappé had just 14 touches and looked well short of his usual sharpness. Senegal were the sharper side early and controlled more of the rhythm, even after Mbappé forced Édouard Mendy into a sliding save in the 57th minute.
France finally found a break in the 66th minute, when Michael Olise slipped a pass through four Senegalese defenders and Mbappé finished the move for the first goal. He added another later in the match, and France's second-half pressure told the story: after being pinned back before halftime, they outshot Senegal 10-1 after the break and finished like the stronger team. Didier Deschamps did not hide the uneven performance, saying Mbappé would still draw criticism, but also that he is the kind of player who can miss for long stretches and then tip the scales with one action; he also noted that the forward was not very precise over the first half.
France entered the tournament with the weight of its 2018 title behind it, and Mbappé's night fits that expectation as much as it exposes the risk of leaning on him. He remains the player who can alter a match in a flash, but this one also showed that France's path in the World Cup will depend on whether its best scorer gets enough of the ball before the game is already slipping away.
