Michael Olise produced the first international hat-trick of his career as France wrapped up their World Cup preparations with a 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland in Lille on Monday.
The Bayern Munich winger delivered when it mattered most, helping Didier Deschamps sign off from his final home game as France manager with a victory before Les Bleus head to the United States for the FIFA World Cup.
France dominated possession but found it difficult to break down a disciplined Northern Ireland side for much of the contest.
After a frustrating first half, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 43rd minute. Ousmane Dembele’s effort took a deflection into the path of Olise, who reacted quickest to fire home from close range.
The winger doubled France’s advantage four minutes into the second half with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area, putting the hosts in control.
Northern Ireland refused to back down and reduced the deficit in the 64th minute. Shea Charles drove into the area before Patrick Kelly finished from close range to give Michael O’Neill’s youthful side renewed hope.
Any thoughts of a comeback, however, were ended 15 minutes from time when Olise completed his hat-trick with a curling effort from 20 yards to seal the victory.
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While Olise stole the spotlight, Kylian Mbappe endured another frustrating evening in his pursuit of Olivier Giroud’s France goalscoring record.
The captain had a goal ruled out after Desire Doue was caught offside in the build-up and also missed several chances, meaning his wait to equal Giroud’s tally will continue into the World Cup.
Northern Ireland also had a goal disallowed in first-half stoppage time after Jamie Donley converted from close range, only for Ruairi McConville to be penalised for pushing Theo Hernandez moments earlier.
The match marked Deschamps’ final appearance on home soil after 14 years in charge of the national team.
Supporters paid tribute before kick-off with a ceremony that included player introductions and a fireworks display at the Decathlon Arena, where the France coach received the loudest ovation of the evening.
France were seeking a response after last week’s surprise 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast, but despite controlling the game, their attacking quartet of Mbappe, Dembele, Doue and Olise struggled to create clear openings until Olise’s clinical finishing made the difference.
Despite the defeat, Northern Ireland delivered another encouraging display under O’Neill.
With an average starting age of 22.6, the visitors remained organised for long periods and threatened on the counterattack. Kelly went close twice before eventually getting on the scoresheet, while the defence, led by Sunderland’s Trai Hume, coped well despite the absence of Conor Bradley and Dan Ballard.
The result sends France into the World Cup on a winning note. Les Bleus begin their campaign against Senegal in New Jersey on June 16 before facing Iraq and Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I.
Northern Ireland, who narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification after their play-off defeat to Italy, will return to action in September when they begin their UEFA Nations League campaign against Georgia, Ukraine and Hungary.
