France showed itself in top form at the World Cup dress rehearsal against Northern Ireland – Bayern star Michael Olise thrilled the fans in Lille with a three-goal gala in the 3-1 (1-0) win.
Olise scored in the 43rd and 49th minutes of Didier Deschamps’ last game as national coach of the Équipe tricolore on French soil, Patrick Kelly reduced the score to 1-2 in the 64th minute for the bravely defending Northern Irish. But the French continued to apply constant pressure and could have scored far more often than once again through Olise a quarter of an hour before the final goal.
Three Champions League winner in the starting line-up
Desiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé (both Paris St. Germain) and William Saliba (Arsenal FC) were in the starting line-up for the two-time world champions; they had all won the Champions League final against Arsenal FC at the end of May.
Against Northern Ireland, who did not qualify for the World Cup, the French created numerous chances, especially at the beginning. Olise eventually rewarded the selection before Northern Ireland came into their own midway through the second half in the game refereed by German referee Sascha Stegemann.
France’s Ousmane Dembele (l.) high-fives Olise after the 2-0 win against Northern Ireland
Most recently lost against Ivory Coast
But then, in typical fashion, Olise moved from the right edge of the penalty area into the middle and scored his third goal. France botched the penultimate World Cup test last week when it suffered a 2-1 defeat against German group opponents Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) in Nantes.
The French team will play their opening World Cup match against Senegal on Tuesday next week. Other opponents in Group I are Iraq and Norway.