Benzema brace helps France blank Honduras

Photo: Noel Valladares unable to prevent a Karim Benezema header from crossing the goal-line. France won the game 3-0 courtesy of a Benzema brace.

Group E favourites France got their 2014 World Cup campaign off in style when they cruised past a 10 man Honduras team in fairly one sided contest.

Honduras got off to a bright start but failed to really test the France captain, Hugo Loris, in goal. The former world champions slowly took control of the game through the efforts of Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Yohan Cabaye.

The lively Antoine Griezmann combined well with Karim Benzema to put the Honduras back four under tremendous pressure as they exerted themselves on the game. Matuidi was denied by an acrobatic save from Noel Valladares in the 15^th minute when his effort was tipped onto the crossbar and over for a corner. Les Blues kept coming and Griezmann watched in agony as his header rebounded off the crossbar in the 23^rd minute. Two minutes later Benzema headed over but should have done better.

The French were coming and the Hondurans were using physicality to try to contain their opponents. This would prove to be a bad tactic. Wilson Palacios brought down Pogba midway the half and the young midfielder lashed out at the rash challenge. Both players were booked but it would come back to haunt the Honduran as he received a second yellow card and was ejected in addition to giving away a penalty when he barged into the back of Pogba inside the penalty area two minutes before half time. Pogba was closing onto a delicate chip pass from Cabaye who was having his way in midfield when he was baulked by the fullback.

Benzema took responsibility from the spot and hammered the ball in the back of the net to the right of Valladares who decided to dive to his left. It was the last meaningful action of the first half as Didier Dechamps men enjoyed a 1-0 half time lead.

The second half was barely three minutes old when the use of goal line technology was required. Benzema’s header hit the left upright and rolled across the face of the goal before hitting against the goalkeeper and crossing the line. The keeper tried to claw the ball back into play but the use of the technology ruled that it was in fact a goal.

Matuidi headed into the side netting from an acute angle in the 64^th minute and his effort had even the commentator fooled as it appeared to have gone in. Honduras tried to make a game of it and a lung busting run from Garcia in the 68^th minute ended up with a shot on target. It lacked venom however and failed to trouble Loris who was having a very quiet afternoon.

Benzema had celebrated the second goal as though it was his own but it was ruled as an own goal. There was no denying who the third goal belonged to as the Real Madrid striker latched onto a rebound and hammered home from an acute near the edge of the six yard box in emphatic style to make it 3-0 in the 72^nd minute. 

The game was effectively over following that goal and though France continued to dominate possession there was little more goal-mouth action. The result would no doubt have pleased a nation that had seen their team implode in South Africa, leaving the competition after the group stage without a point.