France won 3-1 over Senegal in their Group I opener, but a controversial VAR decision in the 58th minute drew severe criticism from international refereeing experts. Referee Alireza Faghani overruled a penalty after Senegal defender Sadio Mane fouled France forward Kylian Mbappe inside the penalty area, instead signaling a goal kick.
Darren Cann, the assistant referee from the 2010 World Cup final, told BBC One that "my phone has blown up with messages from several of the world's best referees who also can't understand why a penalty wasn't given." Former England captain Alan Shearer labeled the decision "bizarre," questioning the referee's claim that Mbappe initiated contact. "How can Mbappe initiate contact if he is in front of him? It's bizarre, it really is," Shearer said.
Despite the controversial non-call, Mbappe scored twice in the match, bringing his international goal tally to 58 and surpassing Olivier Giroud as France's all-time leading goalscorer. Mbappe also set a new France World Cup record with 14 tournament goals. After the match, France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed his side should have been awarded the penalty.
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