Olise hat trick sends France to the World Cup on a high

Olise grabs a hat trick in final World Cup tune-up

France signed off before the World Cup with a 3–1 win over Northern Ireland in Lille on Monday, and it was Michael Olise who stole the show. The winger struck three times to hand your team the victory in its last friendly before departing for the United States (2) (3) (4).

Kylian Mbappé had a quiet night, missing several chances that he would normally bury. Deschamps was unfazed afterward: "Il m'avait dit qu'il la gardait pour les USA donc ça me va" – roughly, Mbappé told the coach he's saving the goals for America (7).

Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué both started as Deschamps fielded what looked close to his preferred XI (6). Saliba, Upamecano, Koundé, Théo Hernandez, Tchouaméni, and Rabiot all featured, with Mike Maignan in goal (3) (6).

The hat trick puts Olise level with Dembélé on international goals already – a striking arrival for a player who has cemented his place in the squad (8).

Deschamps' squad now shifts focus

The squad flies out on June 10, with the opener against Senegal looming. Staff have built the travel schedule around a one-hour daily time-zone recovery plan, with heat in the US also a factor in preparations.

The performance against Northern Ireland was far from flawless – but after a disjointed buildup that included a 2–1 loss to Côte d'Ivoire, momentum matters. Olise gave you that.

Fan reactions

Supporters are less convinced about the balance of the attack. One thread on r/worldcup has fans arguing that Mbappé and Rayan Cherki together would be "totally unsustainable" off the ball, with the top comment warning that France would get swept away by the first organized side they face. There is real anxiety behind the three points. Read the discussion here.