France 3-1 Northern Ireland: Olise Hat-Trick Seals Deschamps Farewell

Michael Olise hit a first senior hat-trick as France beat Northern Ireland 3-1 in their final World Cup warm-up on home soil, giving Didier Deschamps a winning farewell in front of local fans before stepping down after the tournament in North America.

The result completed France’s preparations before their Group I opener against Senegal, while Northern Ireland showed periods of control and effort that kept the hosts under pressure, especially during a spell when France struggled to turn dominance into clear chances.

France created the better openings across the match and ended with an expected goals figure of 2.92 from 27 attempts, though only five efforts hit the target, while Northern Ireland produced four shots, with an xG of 1.05, and punished one lapse in defence to briefly threaten an upset.

That balance of chances reflected a wider pattern in meetings between these sides, as France have now played Northern Ireland nine times without defeat, winning six and drawing three, giving Deschamps further reassurance that his squad enter the World Cup in strong competitive rhythm.

Deschamps’ team had come into this fixture still carrying the memory of losing the 2022 World Cup final to Argentina on penalties, and the coaching staff will hope Olise’s display, added to recent club form, signals a player ready to influence key knockout games in North America.

Olise’s numbers across 2026 underline this growing impact, with 31 goal involvements, made up of 15 goals and 16 assists, from 31 appearances for club and country since the start of the year, while performances for Bayern Munich have already brought Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles.

Michael Olise and France breakthrough moments vs Northern Ireland in friendly

Despite France’s strong statistics, Northern Ireland frustrated the hosts early on, as Aurelien Tchouameni struck the post from distance and Kylian Mbappe had a finish disallowed for offside, with Michael O’Neill’s organised defence limiting clear space for runners behind the back line for long spells.

The deadlock finally broke two minutes before half-time when Ousmane Dembele’s shot took a deflection and dropped kindly inside the box, allowing Olise to react fastest and steer a composed finish from close range, lifting some tension from home supporters inside the stadium.

Any threat of a slow restart vanished three minutes after the interval, when Northern Ireland failed to clear a loose ball properly, and the in-form Bayern Munich forward seized on the half-chance, driving a powerful strike beyond Pierce Charles from just inside the penalty area to make it 2-0.

Michael O’Neill’s players responded with spirit despite trailing against one of the World Cup favourites, and Patrick Kelly cut the deficit on 64 minutes, tapping in his first international goal on his fourth appearance after Shea Charles had pressed aggressively and won possession from Dayot Upamecano.

That lifeline only lasted 10 minutes, as Olise secured the match ball with his best finish of the night, curling a precise effort from the edge of the box into the top-left corner, making the score 3-1 and ending Northern Ireland’s hopes of a late comeback at Deschamps’ farewell home fixture.

Olise became the first France player to score a hat-trick in a friendly since Olivier Giroud against Paraguay in June 2017, adding another mark to France’s long list of attacking milestones while also confirming personal momentum heading into a World Cup where expectations around the forward continue to rise.

It was still an occasion to remember for Patrick Kelly, whose close-range strike delivered a milestone first goal for Northern Ireland and gave the visitors something positive to carry forward, even as France’s extra quality, sharper finishing and volume of chances ultimately settled this World Cup warm-up.

France now travel to North America with confidence built on both the scoreline and underlying data, a farewell victory for Deschamps at home, a standout hat-trick from Olise, and evidence that Northern Ireland’s organised approach still offers competitive problems for higher-ranked opponents.