Mbappe surpasses Giroud, Henry to become France’s all time World Cup and overall top scorer

France launched their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought victory as their talismanic captain produced an absolute masterclass to rewrite his nation's goalscoring history.

The lethal forward single-handedly rescued the former world champions in their 3-1 win after a dangerous Senegal side threatened to cause a massive opening-day upset.

A spectacular second-half double from Kylian Mbappé officially propelled the superstar past Olivier Giroud (57)  and Thierry Henry (51) to become France's all-time leading international goalscorer with fifty-eight 58  goals.

After a scoreless, cagey opening half completely dominated by dangerous Senegalese counter-attacks, the Real Madrid forward broke the deadlock in the sixty-sixth minute by latching onto a precise pass from Michael Olise.

Substitute Bradley Barcola quickly doubled the advantage with a delicate chip, before eighteen-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for the African side with an incredible stoppage-time strike.

Mbappe quickly restored France’s two-goal lead with a sensational strike of his own, to secure a commanding 3-1 victory.

The match-winning performance also saw the explosive attacker claim sole possession of another prestigious goalscoring crown by taking his total World Cup finals tally to an incredible fourteen goals.

The thunderous thirty-yard blast into the top corner in the ninety-fourth minute officially pushed him past historic compatriot Just Fontaine to become France’s all-time top scorer in the competition's history.

Furthermore, the modern milestone allowed the twenty-seven-year-old to overtake former PSG teammate Lionel Messi on the all-time tournament scoring charts.

This crucial opening victory puts Didier Deschamps' side in complete command of the group standings as they attempt to become the first side since Brazil to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.