The first half ended in a goalless draw, after a complicated start for the French team, which found it difficult to cross the midfield during the first minutes in front of good positioning by the Senegalese players. The Senegalese team almost opened the scoring early, after Hernandez cleared a dangerous cross for a corner kick in the first minute, before the French defense intervened to stop Ismaila Sarr’s attempt inside the penalty area in the seventh minute.
Over time, France’s dominance gradually increased, but without great danger. In the 25th minute, Senegal had the most dangerous chances in the first half through Nicholas Jackson, who rushed off and shot a ball that bounced off the post before going into a corner kick. Ismaila Sarr also shot a ball over the crossbar in the 31st minute, while the French team made do with a limited attempt, most notably Ousmane Dembélé’s shot, which was blocked by the defence.
In the second half, the French national team began with greater pressure, as Desiree Dowie shot a ball from the edge of the penalty area that passed near the left post in the 47th minute, before Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy excelled in stopping a dangerous attempt from Michael Olise in the 53rd minute, and then another attempt from Kylian Mbappe in the 57th minute.
Mbappe called for a penalty kick in the 58th minute after a collision with Sadio Mane inside the area, but the referee returned to the video technology and decided not to award it.
In the 66th minute, Mbappe succeeded in breaking the tie, after receiving a through pass from Michael Olise and shooting with his right foot from the middle of the penalty area to the middle of the goal, giving France the lead. Two minutes later, Nicholas Jackson scored a goal for Senegal, but the referee ruled it out for offside.
Senegal tried to return to the match, while France continued to search for a second goal. In the 82nd minute, Bradley Barcola increased the French team’s lead with a shot from the right side of the penalty area to the right corner of the floor, after a through pass from Adrien Rabiot following a counterattack.
In the final minutes, Senegal reduced the gap through Ibrahim Mbaye in the 90th + 5th minute, with a shot from the right side of the penalty area to the top right corner, after a pass from Elimane Ndiaye following a counterattack.
But the French response came quickly, as Kylian Mbappe scored the third goal in the 90th + 6th minute with a shot with his right foot from outside the penalty area, sealing France’s victory with a score of 3-1.
Mbappe raised his tally to 57 goals in his 99th international match, equaling Olivier Giroud’s record as the best scorer in the history of the French national team. He also reached his 13th goal in the World Cup, equaling Just Fontaine’s record as the best French scorer in the tournament.
