Mbappé Leads France to Victory as Messi Shines for Argentina
France had to work for it. Hard. But a sharp tactical reset from Didier Deschamps at half-time and a ruthless Kylian Mbappé brace dragged Les Bleus to a 3-1 victory over a stubborn Senegal in their World Cup opener, while Lionel Messi answered from afar with a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria to crank up the pressure on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
Deschamps’ switch unlocks France
For 45 minutes, France looked strangely flat. Senegal pressed high, snapped into duels and refused to be intimidated by the world champions’ reputation. The spaces Mbappé usually devours were tight, the French midfield often second to loose balls, and the rhythm of the game suited the African side.
Deschamps didn’t wait for the match to drift. At the break, he reshuffled his structure, pushing his wide players higher and giving Mbappé more freedom to roam off the shoulder of the last defender rather than staying pinned to a flank. The effect was immediate.
The pressure finally told. With France circulating the ball quicker and higher up the pitch, gaps began to appear. Mbappé, sensing blood, attacked them with his usual, devastating clarity.
His first goal was all about timing and instinct, darting into a channel, taking a perfectly weighted pass in stride and finishing with the kind of cold precision that has become his trademark. The second underlined why he now stands alone in French football history: a burst of acceleration, a defender left trailing, and a finish that made a difficult chance look routine.
Those two strikes not only killed Senegal’s resistance; they also carried historic weight. Mbappé’s brace took him to 58 goals for his country, moving him clear as France’s all-time top scorer. At his age, the number is startling. The manner of it, less so. This is what he does.
France added a third to put the contest beyond doubt, their control in the second half a stark contrast to the tension of the first. Senegal, who had asked serious questions early on, could not live with the increased tempo and sharper combinations once Deschamps’ adjustments took hold. A late reply from the African side gave the scoreline some balance, but not the story. This was France bending a tricky opener to their will.
Messi answers with a hat-trick
While Mbappé was rewriting French records, Messi was doing what Messi has done for almost two decades: bending games to his own rhythm.
Against Algeria, the Argentina captain produced a hat-trick that felt as much like a statement as a spectacle. Dropping between the lines, drifting wide, then suddenly appearing in the box, he orchestrated the match and finished it, his three goals lifting Argentina and reminding everyone that his competitive fire still burns bright.
Each strike tightened the screws on the rest of the field. Argentina, already fancied, now look ominously sharp, their leader in full flow. The goals will be replayed endlessly, but the larger impact is clear: the bar for individual brilliance at this tournament has been set high, and set early.
Spotlight turns to Ronaldo and Portugal
All of this inevitably circles back to one man: Cristiano Ronaldo. As Messi fills highlight reels and Mbappé hunts down records, Ronaldo and Portugal prepare to face DR Congo on Wednesday under a different kind of spotlight.
Every touch, every run, every finish will be weighed against what has already happened in this opening round. Mbappé has his brace and a national record. Messi has his hat-trick and the stage humming with his name.
Now the question hangs over Portugal and their talisman: in a World Cup already lit up by old rivals and a new record-breaker, how will Ronaldo respond?
