PARIS (AP) — Michael Olise completed his hat trick with a brilliant curler as France beat Northern Ireland 3-1 in its final World Cup warmup on Monday.
It was also the last game on French soil for coach Didier Deschamps, who steps down following the World Cup after 14 years in charge of Les Bleus. He picked Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in a glittering attack along with Olise and Désiré Doué.
Olise netted from close range in the 43rd minute after Dembélé’s shot was blocked, then grabbed his second of the night in the 49th, blasting in from near the penalty spot after Northern Ireland failed to clear a cross from the right.
Saving the best for last, the fleet-footed winger broke off the right wing and bent an unstoppable shot into the top left corner from 20 meters in the 75th.
Olise grabbed 22 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich this season and looks a certain World Cup starter for two-time champion France — the runner-up to Argentina four years ago — against Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey.
After Olise’s second goal, France’s defense went napping in the northern city of Lille and Patrick Kelly tapped in a cross midway through the second half for Northern Ireland.
Mbappé failed to add to his 56 international goals and remained one behind France’s all-time highest scorer Olivier Giroud.
Dutch double for Gakpo
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo’s second penalty gave the Netherlands a scrappy 2-1 win against coach Fabio Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan in New York.
His first came in the 32nd minute, but poor defending allowed Uzbekistan to level in the second minute of stoppage time through Igor Sergeev’s close-range finish. When the Netherlands was awarded another penalty, Gakpo slotted in his 21st international goal.
Coach Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands opens its World Cup campaign against Japan in Dallas on June 14.
Netherlands lost the 2010 World Cup final to Spain, which played a warmup against Peru in Mexico later on Monday. ___
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