Mbappé Seizes the Moment as France Finally Flex Their World Cup Muscle Against Senegal

There's something almost predictable about how the tournament's heavyweight contenders eventually make their presence felt. France took their time about it against Senegal, but when they did, it was with the kind of second-half demolition that serves as a timely reminder of why they remain among the competition's deadliest threats.

For the opening 55 minutes, this looked like it might be a different story entirely. Les Bleus were genuinely dreadful—the kind of careless, disjointed performance that had Alan Shearer declaring Senegal the superior team with the kind of certainty usually reserved for established facts rather than scorching hot takes.

Senegal, Africa's champions, had every answer in the first period. They carved out the better chances and had France's defence—desperately thin with Kounde and Theo Fernandez pushed so far forward they were practically strikers—under constant duress. Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba were merely fortunate to escape unscathed when Nicolas Jackson struck the post with only Mike Maignan's leg preventing what could easily have been a catastrophic deflection.

Mbappé, operating in a central role, was particularly wasteful. Fourteen touches, seven of them surrendered carelessly. By the hour mark, there was genuine question whether Didier Deschamps might consider making a change.

Then, almost without warning, everything shifted.

Michael Olise suddenly emerged as a genuine creative force alongside Mbappé, and the PSG forward began operating at the level everyone knows he's capable of. Senegal's previously assured rearguard was picked apart repeatedly. Edouard Mendy produced two excellent saves, but the sense of inevitability became suffocating.

What followed was a curious interlude involving a penalty incident that defied logic. Sadio Mane's wild challenge on Mbappé should have been straightforward, but the referee, after consultation, determined the forward had initiated contact and thus France wouldn't even receive the corner. It was baffling—the kind of decision that suggests some rather creative instructions have been circulating in the officials' briefing room.

The reprieve lasted mere minutes. Olise's pass was absurd; Mbappé's finish, a delightful five-a-side flourish, was anything but. Bradley Barcola added a second from the bench with cheeky composure, and when Ibrahim Mbaye briefly offered Senegal hope with a stunning solo effort in stoppage time, Mbappé responded with a ferocious third from distance that punctuated the evening's narrative perfectly.

That final goal carried particular weight. It moved him beyond Olivier Giroud into France's all-time scoring record, surpassed Just Fontaine's World Cup tally for the nation, and left him just two strikes short of Miroslav Klose's all-competition mark of 16.

Where Spain and Brazil have faltered, France have delivered. This is the statement that matters. They've announced themselves as the tournament's team to beat.