Kylian Mbappe solidified his status as one of football's greatest players by scoring twice in France's 3-1 victory over Senegal in their opening World Cup match. The 27-year-old became France's all-time leading scorer with 58 goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud.

In a poetic twist, Giroud, who was commentating on the match, congratulated Mbappe live on air after his 96th-minute strike. Mbappe also became France's top World Cup scorer with 14 goals, breaking Just Fontaine's record of 13, and is now the youngest player to reach that milestone.

Mbappe's double leaves him just two goals shy of Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record (16 goals). He also surpassed Lionel Messi's 13 World Cup goals and trails only Brazil's Ronaldo (15) on the all-time list.

The first goal came in the 66th minute when Mbappe converted a brilliant pass from Michael Olise. Bradley Barcola added a second before Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal. Mbappe sealed the win with a long-range blast in stoppage time.

After the match, Mbappe posted on Instagram: "Always important to start with a win. It will be a long road, but we are ready," without mentioning his personal achievements.

Mbappe, who led France to World Cup glory in 2018 as a teenager, scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final despite Argentina's victory. He has now scored at three consecutive World Cups and is the only player to score two or more goals in five different World Cup matches.

Source: www.aljazeera.com