Kylian Mbappe was denied a penalty in France's World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday, but he brushed aside the controversy to score twice in a 3-1 victory. The clash was locked at 0-0 when Mbappe burst onto a through ball inside the box, with former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane appearing to bring him down. The Senegal captain failed to make contact with the ball and seemingly collided with Mbappe, yet referee Alireza Faghani waved away all protests. After consulting VAR footage, the referee controversially declined to point to the spot, indicating instead that Mbappe had made contact with Mane before hitting the deck.
A stunned Mbappe could barely believe it, as Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise rushed to remonstrate with the official. Expert analyst Nicola Hickling, a professional lip reader at LipReader Ltd, revealed what was said: Faghani told Mbappe, "That Diouf, just a contact and Sadio, a contact." Mbappe responded, "Hey, I'ma go and watch it." The referee then gestured towards Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's goal, which would ordinarily signal a penalty. Mbappe visibly relaxed as Jules Kounde began celebrating, only for both to realise moments later that the official had in fact awarded a goal kick.
“Mbappe scores twice after denied penalty; Giroud says star is misunderstood, not arrogant.”
It is extremely uncommon for a referee to uphold their original decision after reviewing the VAR monitor, with one study revealing that rulings in the Premier League were overturned in 95 per cent of cases. But Mbappe would have the last laugh, netting just minutes later following another precise through ball from Olise. PSG winger Bradley Barcola extended the lead to 2-0 before an error from Mike Maignan handed Senegal a lifeline, with fellow PSG starlet Ibrahim Mbaye, 18, pulling one back for his side. Yet Mbappe struck again just seconds later to put the result beyond doubt, collecting the ball from roughly 35 yards out before firing past former Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy.
Now, as France are widely regarded as one of the frontrunners to lift the World Cup trophy, former national team striker Olivier Giroud has spoken warmly about the man who broke his all-time scoring record for Les Bleus. Giroud texted Mbappe straight after France's win over Senegal when the 26-year-old reached 58 goals, surpassing Giroud's mark of 55. "I wrote: 'Congrats bro, I am really happy for you. Well, I kept the record for three-and-a-half years, and it was great – but now it is yours, and you have to go again… oh, and bro, don't forget to save me your jersey!'," Giroud told BBC Sport. Mbappe had already promised to give him the shirt he wore when he overtook Giroud's total.
Giroud recalled a photograph that sums up their relationship: after Giroud broke Thierry Henry's record to become France's top scorer against Poland at the 2022 World Cup, Mbappe set up the goal with a perfect assist. "I ran towards the corner flag to celebrate and did a knee slide and then I turned around to find him jumping into my arms. I said to him 'you know how much I love you, bro'," Giroud said. "I think Kylian is misunderstood as a person sometimes, and he is seen as arrogant when he's not. … Instead of arrogance, it's actually just confidence, and ambition, he shows when he talks."