Published on : 23/06/2021 – 23:38
Karim Benzema, who scored at the Euro against Portugal on Wednesday, has returned to the net twice with France, his first goals with the Blues in more than five years and eight months.
“When he puts one on, the tap will be open and it will flow,” predicted Antoine Griezmann at a press conference. The playmaker of the Blues was right. Finally scorer after his return to the France team, Karim Benzema freed himself Wednesday against Portugal (2-2) by scoring a double.
“KB9” honored the confidence of its partner on the pitch on the lawn of the Puskas-Arena in Budapest. Without trembling, he first converted a penalty (45e+2) caused by Kylian Mbappé, in front of the turn occupied by the 7,500 French supporters announced in the enclosure. And when he returned from the locker room, he aligned Rui Patricio perfectly after a superb launch from Paul Pogba (47e).
“There was this kind of pressure on me from all over the country”
Something to exult, more than five years and eight months after his last achievement, a double, already, one evening in October 2015 in Nice against Armenia (4-0), his last match before his legal setbacks and his removal from the Blues.
“I think everyone was expecting it, there was a little pressure on me from all over the country but I’m a football player, a professional, I need that pressure too. nice to score, “said Benzema at the microphone of BeIN Sport. “Besides, we are qualified.”
The planets suddenly aligned in the Hungarian capital! In early June, the Real Madrid striker missed a penalty in preparation against Wales (3-0), before touching the amount in the game Wednesday, his attempt at eleven meters was imperial, and the post was. .. coming in on the second goal.
“Everyone misses penalties. Find me a player who is not going to miss one! I will work them more and more. It is not a problem”, had evacuated the striker of 33 years in an interview with AFP after his return to blue.
It was therefore not until the third match of the Euro to see the center-forward finally free, scoring his 28e and 29e selection goals.
Was he over-motivated by his reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo, his ex-teammate also in record mode Wednesday with a double and a 109e goal in selection, as much as the Iranian Ali Daei? Or has he simply been able to remain patient and gain energy through the unwavering support of his coach Didier Deschamps and his partners?
A more than successful performance against Portugal
“Who will doubt? Nobody, especially not the French. He has chances, he is in the game, he is efficient, the goal will come”, assured Paul Pogba on RTL in recent days.
A mark of confidence which the striker has fed to deliver a very successful performance against the Portuguese, in a crazy match, chopped by faults, injuries and inaccuracies.
Looking at Griezmann’s explosion of joy over his second goal, there is no doubt that the release was split. Even “CR7” came to congratulate at length the one who spent years making him shine in the “merengue” club.
Fans of statistics can also rejoice at the end of a very bad series, that of having failed to score a single goal at the Euro in 30 shots. After 2008 and 2012, 2021 is therefore a good year for Benzema in the European Championship.
The most picky will perhaps notice that the Blues had always won when Benzema had scored so far, in 22 games … The optimists will prefer to say that in the event of a new goal in the round of 16, the numbers will not lie. time.
With AFP
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