Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland's dominant World Cup displays show post-Messi and Ronaldo era in good hands

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - France were able to outlast a push by Senegal in the first half to flex their depth and avoid the fate that other World Cup contenders suffered at the hands of African nations, winning 3-1 behind a brace from Kylian Mbappe. It was a sputtering start for Les Bleus as they only took one shot in the first half of play, but in the second half, when Senegal tired, Mbappe took over the match.

In a World Cup that could be the final one for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a new bombshell has entered the villa. Well, one has entered, and one is fighting for their place at the top of the game as the best player in the world. For better or worse, Kylian Mbappe is the center of attention for whatever he does, be it over-selling a soft penalty or perfectly placing a shot into the bottom corner. If Mbappe touches the ball, something is going to happen. Then, alongside Mbappe, Erling Haaland is making his World Cup debut after scoring 41 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this season, grabbing two first-half goals for Norway vs. Iraq, as the two cement their status as the new order of global superstars. Haaland would finish with those goals while also forcing an own goal in a 4-1 victory, showing that the future of soccer is in good hands. And that's before even touching on Lamine Yamal.

While Mbappe wasn't at his best as France faced a tougher test than expected against Senegal, once France's depth broke the Lions of Terenga down, it was hard to stop them from getting into space. Not at his best and scoring two goals just shows how high his ceiling really is. 

It was a historic day for Mbappe as he became the top scorer in history for France with his 58th goal for Les Bleus, passing Oliver Giroud, and he also became the top scorer at the World Cup for France with 14, passing Just Fontaine. While Mbappe may not pass Fontaine's record for goals in a single tournament (13), with an extra game to play if France makes it to the final, who knows. Mbappe could make something happen, especially with a Ballon d'Or contender in Michael Olise supporting him.

"People will still criticize Mbappe. He's an iconic player. He can miss a game or two, but on one action, he can tip the scales. People say he doesn't defend enough, but he's not here to defend, and he can do enough of that," France manager Didier Deschamps said about Mbappe's performance. "He does a lot for the group, and while on the outside you can think he's selfish, that's your opinion. He told me that he didn't want to break this in a friendly and he wanted to break it in a decisive match. I think he's best in the center, but he's good to move around [during a match]. "

Spot the point at which Senegal ran out of steam on this chart below, and when Mbappe and France took over.

Despite questions about how much defending he's doing and a petition being drawn up to get him out of Real Madrid even after scoring 43 goals in all competitions this season, Mbappe was able to shut out the noise and put in a strong performance against the champions of Africa. After seeing Spain and Brazil drop points in their opening matches, credit must be given to France to get the job done, something that other teams failed to do, although lapses by defenders and Andre Rabiot's performance could be a cause for concern if they're not ironed out down the line.

"It's great to win our first match, especially against a great team. We had our challenges, but we've seen many teams have their challenges. Senegal was swift and compact, and we made errors. In the second half, we improved, especially with the positioning of Olise. It's hard to meet high expectations in a World Cup, but we're happy," Deschamps said.

France are usually a team that starts off slowly at World Cups, so getting all three points out of the gate in this expanded tournament is a good place to start. Being able to bring in players like Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki in support of Mbappe will ensure that Les Bleus always have an extra gear that they can hit. France is looking to make their third consecutive World Cup final for a reason, and if Mbappe doesn't play defense on the road to getting there, his manager won't care that much.

"If he wants to miss the first half again and score two goals in the second half, that's okay with me," Deschamps. "He did lose some balls, but it's not a psychological issue because he knows what the World Cup is about. He could've scored four or five goals, but we're happy. His performance is like that of the team; he wasn't precise in the first half, but he improved in the second half."

Of course, this is only the opening stanza to Mbappe's potential World Cup salvo, but if this is a sign of what's to come, the other 47 teams in this tournament will need to look out.