▲ Michael Olise
France cruised to a victory over Northern Ireland in their final friendly match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, led by a hat-trick from Michael Olise.
France won 3-1 in the friendly held at the Decathlon Arena in Lille, France, today (June 9, Korea Standard Time).
After suffering a shocking 2-1 comeback defeat against Ivory Coast in their previous friendly, France boosted their morale with a convincing win in their final tune-up match, just eight days before their opening group stage game of the World Cup.
In the 43rd minute of the first half, Olise scored the opening goal after pouncing on a rebound from Ousmane Dembele's shot, which had been blocked by the defense.
Olise added a second goal in the 4th minute of the second half with a powerful half-volley.
Although France dominated the match, they showed occasional defensive vulnerability to counterattacks, eventually conceding a goal in the 19th minute of the second half to Patrick Kelly, who capitalized on a cross from Northern Ireland's Shea Charles.
However, Olise secured a complete victory for his team by completing his hat-trick.
In the 30th minute of the second half, he curled a shot into the Northern Ireland net from about 20 meters out.
Prior to the match, a send-off ceremony was held for the French players heading to the World Cup.
According to the BBC, when the name of head coach Didier Deschamps—who will step down after 14 years at the helm of the French national team following this World Cup—was called during the ceremony, fans cheered even louder than they did for the players.
France will travel to the United States to face Senegal in their first group stage match at the New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey, USA, on June 17 at 4:00 a.m. KST.
(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.