Lille, June 9 (SANA) Michael Olise scored a hat-trick to lead France national football team to a 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland in a World Cup warm-up match in Lille on Monday.
The Bayern Munich winger starred in a star-studded French attack alongside Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue of Paris Saint-Germain, as coach evaluated options ahead of the World Cup opener against Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey.
William Saliba of Arsenal also returned to the side as France tested a structure close to their expected tournament lineup.
France controlled possession but were at times disjointed in attack, with captain Mbappe—who needs one goal to equal Olivier Giroud’s all-time scoring record—having a relatively quiet outing.
Despite Northern Ireland’s deep defensive setup, France created sustained pressure and Olise capitalised twice on rebounds around half-time before completing his hat-trick in the 74th minute with a curling left-footed strike from distance.
Patrick Kelly of Barnsley scored a consolation goal for Northern Ireland in the 64th minute, one of their few clear chances.
The match at the roofed Decathlon Arena featured drinks breaks in both halves as France fine-tuned preparations for the tournament. Les Bleus will depart on Wednesday for their training base near Boston and are set to face Iraq in Philadelphia and Norway in Foxborough in Group I.
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