Michael Olise hat-trick fires France past Northern Ireland in warm-up win

Michael Olise delivered a sensational hat-trick as France defeated Northern Ireland 3-1 in their final World Cup warm-up in Lille, with Didier Deschamps overseeing his last home game in charge of Les Bleus.

The Bayern Munich winger proved decisive throughout, breaking the deadlock just before half-time when he reacted quickest to a deflected effort from Ousmane Dembele, turning the ball home from close range.

Although the opener carried an element of fortune, Olise’s second goal demonstrated real quality, as he unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the area into the top corner four minutes after the restart.

Northern Ireland, managed by Michael O’Neill and fielding a young side with an average age of just 22.6, refused to be overawed.

Their persistence was rewarded in the 64th minute when Patrick Kelly finished from close range after Shea Charles drove into the box, briefly raising hopes of an upset.

However, Olise completed his hat-trick in emphatic fashion, curling a precise 20-yard effort into the net with 15 minutes remaining to restore France’s control and secure victory.

Kylian Mbappe also came close to adding to his tally, but his attempt to equal Olivier Giroud’s all-time scoring record was ruled out for offside in the build-up.

The French captain also spurned several further opportunities, prolonging his wait for the milestone.

There was further controversy when Jamie Donley had a goal disallowed for Northern Ireland after a foul in the build-up.

For Deschamps, the evening was emotional as he concluded 14 years of service on home soil, now turning his attention towards a second World Cup campaign, with France set to face Senegal, Iraq and Norway in the group stage.