Man City World Cup 2026 Watch: Rayan Cherki restricted to cameo in France vs Senegal | OneFootball

Rayan Cherki featured for the final 14 minutes for France in their Group I opener at the FIFA World Cup, resulting in a 3-1 win against Senegal.

Kylian Mbappé further cemented his place in footballing immortality on Tuesday night by netting a second-half brace to become France’s undisputed all-time leading goalscorer, as Les Bleus navigated a turbulent World Cup opener to defeat Senegal 3-1 in New Jersey.

Didier Deschamps‘ side shrugged off a sluggish first half – where they were immensely fortunate not to fall behind after Senegal’s Nicolas Jackson rattled the woodwork and Ismaïla Sarr blazed over from close range – as well as a VAR review that denied Mbappé a penalty.

The Real Madrid superstar broke the African nation’s resistance in the 66th minute with a clinical, low strike to break the deadlock before substitute Bradley Barcola seemingly wrapped up the Group I points with a delightful, chipped finish minutes after entering.

A grandstand finish exploded in the dying embers of stoppage time when Paris Saint-Germain’s teenage prodigy Ibrahim Mbaye capitalised on a defensive lapse to pull one back for Senegal, threatening a dramatic late comeback.

However, Mbappé immediately quelled the comeback threat just 60 seconds later, collecting a pass from Michael Olise before spinning and unleashing a vicious, rising 30-yard thunderbolt past goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.

The spectacular final blow not only guaranteed a winning start to France’s 2026 tournament showcase but also elevated the talismanic forward to 58 international goals, eclipsing Olivier Giroud to stand alone at the pinnacle of French football goalscoring history.

Rayan Cherki match statistics vs Senegal

14 Minutes Played9 Touches5 Accurate Passes62% Pass Accuracy3 Recoveries1 Was Fouled1 Ground Duel Won

https://twitter.com/City_Xtra/status/2066990285079368148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Data courtesy of FotMob.