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SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Karim Benzema

KarimBenzemaFrance2-Honduras2014WorldCup (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

France forward Karim Benzema had a point to prove.

After failing to make the 30-man preliminary France roster for the 2010 World Cup, Benzema showed on Saturday why he is a focal point of France’s potential success in Brazil as he scored a pair of goals and forced an own goal as well in a 3-0 rout of Honduras in Porto Alegre. Benzema’s performance earned him SBI World Cup Man of the Match.

Benzema opened his scoring account from the penalty spot in the 45th minute, placing his shot to the right of Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares. In the 48th minute, Benzema redirected a Yohan Cabaye cross off the far post, but Valladares couldn’t collect the ball and it just rolled across the line. The goal was confirmed by the use of goal-line technology.

Finally, Benzema added his second and his team’s third in the 72nd minute as he fired a deflected shot into the roof of the net past the arms of Valladares. Benzema’s goals were the first for Les Blues in their World Cup opener since 1998.

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What did you think of Benzema’s performance? Which players stood out the most to you?

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Comments

  1. I think the man of the match should be the referee. He was gracious to Pogba after he retaliated against Palacios kicking and stepping all over his leg. If he hadn’t sent off Palacios later on, who knows what would be left of the French team now.

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