Senegal fall 3–1 to France as Mbappé breaks scoring record

France 3–1 Senegal in the World Cup opener

Your team walked into MetLife Stadium on Tuesday and ran into Kylian Mbappé on a record-breaking night. France 3–1 Senegal. Mbappé scored twice and became France's all-time top scorer with that brace (4). "Une grande fierté," he said afterwards, great pride (4).

Bradley Barcola opened the scoring for France, and Didier Deschamps could not hide his delight. "C'est magique le football, ce qu'a fait Barcola, c'est ce que doivent amener les autres," he said. Football is magic, and what Barcola did is what the others must bring (1).

Michael Olise ran the show and was named Man of the Match (2) (3).

Deschamps changed tactics at the break, and Mbappé spoke up

Behind the scenes, Deschamps made a tactical adjustment at halftime that turned the game (3). Mbappé also addressed the dressing room. The switch and the speech broke Senegal's resistance after the interval (3).

Norway next, on a pitch nobody trusts

The group is not over. Senegal face Norway on Monday at the same MetLife Stadium (5). The pitch has drawn sharp criticism. "Jeg synes det er veldig vanskelig," one observer said, I find it very difficult (5). Both teams will have to deal with it.

Malo Gusto injured the day after

France substitute Malo Gusto picked up an ankle injury during a friendly match with New England Revolution on Wednesday (9). He is a doubt for France's upcoming group games. No direct impact on Senegal, but it is worth noting who might be missing when the group shakes out later.