France striker Kylian Mbappe was left astonished after being refused what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty during their opening World Cup 2026 Group I clash with Senegal in New Jersey.
Runners-up at the 2022 tournament, France entered this year’s competition as one of the favourites but struggled to find their rhythm during the opening 45 minutes.
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Their fortunes seemed to improve in the 58th minute when the Real Madrid star looked to have been brought down inside the area by a sliding challenge from Sadio Mane.
At first glance, it looked as though Mane had clipped Mbappe with his trailing leg. However, referee Alireza Faghani saw things differently and awarded a corner instead, judging that the Senegal captain had played the ball.
Moments later, play was paused as VAR stepped in to review the incident. When Faghani was sent to the pitchside monitor for another look, many expected France to be awarded a penalty.
It helps if you actually show when the contact happens… Very blatant contact on Mbappé's left foot. Clear penalty, no idea why the ref didn't give it. And even if there hadn't been contact, if Mbappé doesn't hurdle the tackle he'd end up getting smashed by Mané pic.twitter.com/q7AMgC5TXQ
— Slooties $SAMA $RECORD (@Slooties) June 16, 2026
But in a surprising twist, the VAR check concluded with a verdict of ‘no penalty’, as officials ruled that Mbappe had initiated the contact before falling to the ground.
French journalist Matt Spiro was among those left baffled by the call, posting on X: “How on earth has Mbappe ‘initiated the contact’. Mane came flying in, made contact with Mbappe, who fell. Harder to get a much clearer pen than that!”
Former World Cup final official Darren McCann, who worked on the refereeing team for the 2010 final, also questioned the decision during the BBC’s coverage.
“I can’t support the referee’s decision. For me, it was a clear penalty.” He added “My phone has been blowing up, with several of the world’s best referees saying they also can’t understand why the penalty wasn’t given.”
France eventually found the breakthrough just eight minutes later when Mbappe fired Didier Deschamps’ men ahead in the 66th minute. Bradley Barcola extended the lead after 82 minutes, putting Les Bleus firmly in control.
Senegal threatened to set up a tense finish when Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back late on. However, Mbappe had the final say, smashing home a spectacular effort to make it 3-1 and seal victory in style as France launched their campaign with three valuable points.
