There was plenty of drama on and off the field as France overcame a tough Senegal side to begin their World Cup journey with a victory.
Kylian Mbappe stole the spotlight with two second-half goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud on France’s all-time scoring chart. The Real Madrid forward now has 58 international goals despite being only 27 years old.
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Bradley Barcola also found the net as the 2022 finalists secured a 3-1 victory, a result that lifted Didier Deschamps’ side to the summit of Group I.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea forward Giroud used the moment to congratulate Mbappe during BBC Sport’s coverage, saying: ‘Congrats Kylian, you made it.
‘I’m really happy for him. He had a good second half, a better connection with Michael Olise. He showed the team the way.’
Former England striker Wayne Rooney added: ‘He is an absolute superstar.
Zlatan has absolutely no respect for Alexi. He cooked the hell outta him with this quote 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/sQ3gWH9Il6
— El(H)ombre (@joeC000L) June 16, 2026
‘You are quite lucky as a forward because you can have a 45 minutes like he had in the first half and be disappointing, and then you can come out and have a second half like he just had.
‘He’s absolutely incredible. No doubt throughout this tournament he will go on to be the greatest World Cup goalscorer of all time.’
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in FOX Sports’ studio in the United States was noticeably different, with viewers spotting several uncomfortable interactions involving Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and former USA defender Alexi Lalas.
Earlier in the competition, Lalas sparked controversy by calling James Corden a ‘full-kit w***er’ during a live segment, a remark that appeared to leave Henry stunned.
The awkward moments continued on Tuesday night as Ibrahimovic took aim at both Lalas and Landon Donovan with a series of cutting comments.
At the start of one discussion, Henry was asked to respond to Donovan’s claim that France’s first-half performance was ‘arrogant’ and ‘casual’. The Frenchman replied: ‘Actually, I will skip that one. I just don’t get it.
my favorite thing at the world cup coverage is how much henry and zlatan openly hate alexi lalas pic.twitter.com/shZrC4vAG2
— n x d (@nxd1979) June 16, 2026
‘So because you are not 1-0 up or 2-0 up or 3-0 up after 15 minutes those words have to come out?
‘But let’s concentrate on the game. We all knew what was going to happen. If people don’t know how Senegal can play and how good Senegal are then that’s on them.’
After France wrapped up the win, Lalas revisited Donovan’s earlier assessment and said: ‘The reality is that if they are arrogant, it’s because they can do things like that.
‘The patience that they showed after a poor first half… to come back and provide a masterful second half. With the talent that they have and the big stars showing up, that’s pretty special.’
However, Ibrahimovic was quick to challenge that view, responding: ‘It’s not arrogance, it’s confidence. Ignorant people will say it’s arrogance, intelligent people will say it’s confidence.’
The uncomfortable exchange appeared to be part of a broader pattern, with several clips circulating online showing Ibrahimovic acting cold towards Lalas and dismissing some of the American pundit’s comments.
In one video, Lalas asks about music playing from Ibrahimovic’s phone, only to be brushed aside by the Swede.
‘You will not know it,’ the former AC Milan and Manchester City star replied before clapping along to the music himself.
Another clip shows the pair debating the meanings of ‘pressure’ and ‘opportunity’ while discussing the leading contenders for the World Cup.
The unusual chemistry among FOX Sports’ panelists is likely to remain a talking point as the tournament unfolds.
While the early interactions have been far from smooth, it may simply be a matter of the three pundits taking time to build a better working relationship.
After all, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were once fierce rivals themselves — and look where they are now.
