With a hat-trick, Michael Olise gave the Blues a fine victory and Didier Deschamps a perfect send-off in his last match on French soil (3-1), Monday.

Last rehearsal successful before takeoff. The French team won their second and final World Cup warm-up match (11 June-19 July) against Northern Ireland (3-1) on Monday, 8 June at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille. A reaction was expected from Les Bleus, who had suffered a defeat against Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday (1-2), and they largely reassured by dominating a very limited opposition from start to finish, even if the visitors managed to score.

• Michael Olise shines. Facing the 70th-ranked nation, France had no choice but to win to erase the defeat against the Elephants. The team relied on Michael Olise, who scored from deflected attempts shortly before and after the break (43rd and 49th minutes), then added his trademark curled shot into the top corner after cutting in from the right wing (75th). Patrick John Kelly’s goal on the hour (64th) was the only blemish of the evening.
• Paris players and Saliba in form. Arriving late to the France camp, the Parisians—fresh from their second European title—were exempted from the first match against Ivory Coast. On Monday, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué started, with the latter especially impressive, while Bradley Barcola came on at the hour. William Saliba, who has chronic back pain and was also rested in the first friendly, played the entire first half without any apparent difficulty.
• A successful last match on French soil for Didier Deschamps. After fourteen years in charge of Les Bleus, Didier Deschamps played his last match as manager on French soil, as he will leave his post after the World Cup. His record with the French team after this win: 91 matches, 63 wins, 14 draws, and 14 losses, i.e., a 69% win rate. The Stade Pierre-Mauroy chanted his name in the 7th minute, corresponding to his shirt number during his playing days.

By Mariama Hamani — Analyst