LILLE, June 9 — France coach Didier Deschamps challenged forward Michael Olise to make his mark at the World Cup after he hit a hat-trick in a 3-1 World Cup warm-up win over Northern Ireland in Lille yesterday. 

The Bayern Munich winger and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe were joined in a fearsome attack by Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele. The Paris Saint-Germain pair had been rested for the previous friendly—a loss to Ivory Coast—after winning the Champions League.

But Olise shone brightest, drilling home rebounds just before and just after half-time before curling in a superb shot from outside the area to finish off the visitors after Patrick Kelly had pulled a goal back.

“We’ll need a Michel Olise at that level,” Deschamps said. “Michael stands out because of the season he has had at Bayern and with us.”

“He has achieved some really great things, he is full of confidence. He also has the ability to put in the effort, which is remarkable,” Deschamps said.

Another Champions League finalist, William Saliba of losers Arsenal, showed he has shaken off an injury scare as he returned to give France a look similar to how they could line up for their World Cup opener against Senegal in New Jersey on June 16.

The French though were frequently disjointed in attack, with skipper Mbappe, who needs one goal to equal Olivier Giroud’s team scoring record, often lacklustre.

Yet they still pressed the packed Northern Irish defence, forcing desperate blocks and loose clearances.

Although the Lille stadium roof was kept closed on a chilly and damp evening, play was stopped for drinks breaks in the middle of each half to help Les Bleus prepare in every detail for the World Cup.

France, who leave for their training base near Boston on Wednesday, will also face Iraq in Philadelphia and Norway in Foxborough outside Boston in Group I. — AFP

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PARIS, June 2 — Malo Gusto’s proven big match-winning temperament will stand him in good stead as he looks to challenge Jules Kounde for the starting berth as France’s right back at the World Cup.

The 23-year-old was part of the Chelsea team which won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup last season and despite the Londoners’ subsequent poor campaign—in which they finished a dismal 10th in the Premier League—Gusto has done enough to convince France coach Didier Deschamps to take him to the World Cup.

Gusto told AFP that it has been the fulfilment of a childhood dream and has made him “hugely proud”.

His inclusion in the 26-man squad speaks volumes of Deschamps’s view of Gusto, not least since midfielder Eduardo Camavinga missed out following Real Madrid’s mediocre campaign.

Indeed Gusto paid tribute to a Chelsea teammate as having brought him on in leaps and bounds since he joined from Ligue 1 side Lyon for a reported 30 million euros ($35 million) in 2023.

“Reece James has been tops,” said Gusto of the England fullback whom he is in direct competition with for a starting berth at club level.

“He is someone I have learnt a lot from since coming to Chelsea.”

Gusto, who has nine caps to his name since being blooded in 2023, says that former Barcelona and Brazil legend Dani Alves is the benchmark for him as a fullback.

“He is someone who had all the qualities of a modern fullback, who defended well but attacked very effectively as well,” said Gusto.

Gusto admits that he is far from the finished article, having only switched to fullback aged 17.

“Defensively there are a lot of areas where I could do better,” he said.

“In attack I could bring more with regards to statistics.

“But I am working on it, indeed working very hard.

“That is what pays off every time. It is not magic, everyone knows that.

“When you work as you should, you obtain results.

“That is what helps me a lot. It is because of that that I am in the French squad.”

Reference point

Gusto, Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki and Paris Saint Germain’s two-time Champions League-winning forward Bradley Barcola all came through the Lyon academy at the same time.

“To see us three here is something really beautiful,” he said.

“The Lyon youth system is recognised worldwide.

“There is a Lyon DNA: Bradley, Rayan and myself, we are all ball players.

“The academy taught us a lot about how to play.

“To not be afraid of using the ball in the best possible fashion.”

As France bid to regain the World Cup that they won in 2018 before losing the 2022 final to Argentina, Gusto said that the whole squad is on the same page as Deschamps leads the national side for the final time at a major tournament.

“That helps, of course,” he said.

“I endeavour to bring my energy, my carefree attitude as well.

“I am there to put my brick in the building.

“We have players like Kylian (Mbappe), Ousmane (Dembele), who are among the best players in the world.

“To have connections with them on the pitch is magnificent.”

Kounde may be the incumbent right back but he is four years older than Gusto, who has a long-term objective.

“I would like to become a reference point as a right back,” he said.

“It is a target that attracts me, which I must attain.

“I would like also to be able to say I won this World Cup.

“To have played in another as well.” — AFP

The first time FIFA announced cooling breaks in World Cup matches, in 2014, the matter ended up in court. Players, worried about the heat and humidity in Brazil, did not trust soccer’s world governing body, which left the decision for each match to the discretion of its medical staff. The players went to a labor court and obtained an order that the pauses would be automatic at the 30th minute of each half if temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius. Twelve years later, FIFA has mandated three-minute hydration breaks at the 22nd minute of every match at the 2026 World Cup, regardless of temperature or humidity. The move, announced as being for the “well-being of the players,” signals a fundamental change in how the game is played: from two 45-minute halves, as it has been since 1897, to four quarters of roughly 22 minutes.

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