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The French team, led by Kylian Mbappé, who scored a double and is now the top scorer for Les Bleus (58 goals), had a successful start in the 2026 World Cup, while waiting for the debut of the reigning world champions, the Argentinians led by idol Lionel Messi, against Luca Zidane’s Algeria.
Mbappé, record of 58 goals
At MetLife Stadium, east of New York, which will host the final on July 19, the French team, 2018 world champions and finalists of the last edition, may have set an important step in their quest for a third title.
Against Senegal, winners of the last AFCON but stripped of their title in favor of Morocco, Didier Deschamps’ team nonetheless had a tough first half, reflecting a Kylian Mbappé who was clumsy and uninspired.But the star striker found all his effectiveness again after the break, breaking Olivier Giroud’s French team goal record with his 57th (66th minute) and 58th goals (90+6) for Les Bleus.
Bradley Barcola, who came on for a disappointing Ousmane Dembélé, also played a part in the French team’s opening win, just minutes after coming on (82). The only slight downside is that the Senegalese managed to score against Mike Maignan thanks to Ibrahim MBaye (90+5).Messi heading for a new record
Fully recovered from a thigh injury he suffered at the end of May, Lionel Messi will lead the defending Argentine champions in their quest for a double that hasn’t been achieved since 1962 with Pelé and Garrincha’s Brazil (starting at 3:00 AM).
Almost 39 years old, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will also become the first player to take part in six World Cups, edging out his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is expected to do the same with Portugal on Wednesday.
“I had said during the previous World Cup that it would be difficult for me to play in another one because of my age. But (…) I had the chance to play, to find my rhythm, to get playing time, to feel good, and things just happened naturally,” explained the current Inter Miami player.His presence will boost the motivation of Algerians who aren’t just here to play a supporting role, with Luca Zidane, Zinedine’s son, in goal.
“Our goal is to compete strongly until the end and (…) we want to go as far as possible,” said coach Vladimir Petkovic.
Renard, the unlikely return
Fired at the end of April by Saudi Arabia, whom he had qualified for the World Cup, Hervé Renard will finally be in North America, replacing Sabri Lamouchi, who was fired by Tunisia after the humiliating 5-1 loss to Sweden in their first World Cup match on Sunday.
At 57, Renard has already played in the 2018 World Cup with Morocco and 2022 with Saudi Arabia, scoring a prestigious but short-lived win against Argentina (2-1), who would go on to become world champions.
Appointed from Monday night to Tuesday, he will join the Carthage Eagles, who will next face Japan and then the Netherlands (Group F) in Monterrey, Mexico.. Spain Trapped, Iran “Mistreated”
Monday saw Spain’s big underperformance, a title contender unable to get the better of modest Cape Verde (0-0) in Group H.
Iran, the most controversial nation in the tournament, also opened with a draw (2-2) against New Zealand amid tense political circumstances in and around the stadium.
The Iranians then faced another administrative hassle when forward Mehdi Torabi’s visa expired; his was a single-entry visa while the rest of the squad had multiple-entry visas allowing them to travel back and forth on match days between their Mexican base camp and stadiums in the US.
Although a new visa request is underway, this latest incident reinforces coach Amir Ghalenoei’s view that his team was “the most mistreated of the entire World Cup.”
