France 3-1 Northern Ireland Player Ratings: Olise Stars For Les Blues With A Hattrick As Northern Ireland Fail To Prevent France's Firepower

France ended their World Cup warm-up schedule with a controlled 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland, though the visitors made them work hard for it. Les Bleus dominated possession from the start and looked the more dangerous side, but Northern Ireland stayed compact and disciplined, frustrating the hosts for long periods of the first half.

The breakthrough finally arrived just before halftime. After several promising attacks, Michael Olise produced a moment of quality, finding the net in the 43rd minute to give France a deserved lead heading into the break. The goal lifted the atmosphere inside the stadium and eased any nerves among the home supporters.

The France national football team wasted little time after the restart in putting the game beyond doubt. Olise was involved again, scoring his second goal of the evening in the 49th minute after another slick attacking move.

Shea Charles got the better of Dayot Upamecano in a duel on the left flank before putting in a diligent pass for Barnsley's Patrick Kelly, who pulled one back for Northern Ireland in the 64th minute.

However, Olise wasted no time in bagging his hat-trick as he cut in from the right and finished in the far-left corner, as the ball kissed the post before hitting the back of the net.

This signature move and finish from the Frenchman once again proved why he is one of the best wingers in the world currently.

The Northern Ireland national football team continued to battle and showed plenty of determination, but clear-cut opportunities were hard to come by against a French defence that rarely looked troubled apart from the Kelly chance.

In the end, it was a professional performance from France, with Olise's hat-trick proving to be the difference as Les Bleus head into the World Cup on a positive note.

Here are Sportsdunia's France vs Northern Ireland Player Ratings.

Key Takeaways

• Les Blues had a staggering 72% possession and took 27 shots in this game, of which only 5 were on target.
• Trai Hume of Northern Ireland had the most defensive contributions in this game (12).
• Aurélien Tchouaméni and Désiré Doué recorded the joint-most chances created in this friendly fixture (3).

France National Football Team Player Ratings vs Northern Ireland

Check out the France national football team player ratings from the France vs Northern Ireland Player Ratings.

Northern Ireland National Football Team Player Ratings vs France

Take a look at the Northern Ireland national football team player ratings from the France vs Northern Ireland Player Ratings.

Man of the Match

Michael Olise was the best performer in this international friendly.

Worst Performer

Pierce Charles was the worst of the lot from France vs Northern Ireland.