France signed off their World Cup preparations in style with a convincing 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille on Monday. Michael Olise stole the show with a magnificent hat-trick, providing the perfect response after Les Bleus suffered a shock defeat to Côte d’Ivoire last week.
Olise runs riot
Facing a side ranked 70th in the world, Didier Deschamps’ men knew only a win would do to erase the memory of the loss to the Elephants. Olise delivered in emphatic fashion. He tucked away his first from close range after a corner kick was only half-cleared (43′), added a second early in the second half when his initial shot was deflected but he reacted quickest to poke home (49′), then completed his treble with a trademark curling effort into the top corner after cutting in from the right (75′). The only blemish was Patrick John Kelly’s header that briefly pulled Northern Ireland level just past the hour mark (64′).
Parisians and Saliba impress
Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, both fresh from a second Champions League triumph with Paris Saint-Germain, were handed starts after being rested for the Côte d’Ivoire match. Doué looked lively and dangerous throughout, while Bradley Barcola came off the bench on the hour mark. William Saliba, who had been managing a chronic back issue and was also saved for this fixture, played the entire first half without any visible discomfort.
Deschamps bids farewell on home soil
Tuesday night marked the end of an era as Didier Deschamps took charge of his last match on French soil after 14 years as national team coach. He will step down after the World Cup. The crowd at Stade Pierre-Mauroy gave him a rousing ovation, chanting his name in the seventh minute – a nod to the shirt number he wore as a France player. His record now stands at 63 wins, 14 draws and 14 defeats in 91 matches, a win rate of 69%.
