Karim Benzema misses penalty in comeback as France outclass Wales 3-0 in International friendly

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema didn’t have a great match on his International comeback as he missed a penalty in France’s 3-0 win over Wales at the Allianz Riviera in Nice on Wednesday.

Benzema, playing his first game for Les Bleus for nearly six years, took only four minutes to forge a chance when his glancing header from Paul Pogba’s cross drew a smart save from goalkeeper Danny Ward.

Wales played more than one hour with 10 players after defender Neco Williams was sent off for a goal-saving handball to set up the penalty that Benzema missed in the 27th.

It came after Pogba’s downward header was well saved by Ward, and Benzema’s goal-bound follow-up was handled by Williams. A long video review led to a straight red card for the Liverpool defender.

Benzema’s penalty was firmly struck, but Ward dived to his right and denied the Real Madrid star his 28th international goal. Benzema’s last game for France was when he scored twice against Armenia in October 2015, also at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.

Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele scored the goals for France.

“I felt a lot of pride, and I wanted to play and to show it. That’s what I did tonight,” Benzema said after the match.

“I had very good feelings out there. It’s been a difficult season with a lot of matches, but I felt good all game,” he added.

He then missed the European Championship a year later and France’s World Cup success of 2018, amid a bitter fallout with coach Didier Deschamps over Benzema’s alleged role in a sex-tape scandal.

“He did some really good things in his own way. He was unlucky, and the keeper was very good. Because on the penalty, I thought he shot well. For a striker, it is always better to score. It was not the case tonight, but his qualities allowed the French team to have control, and he complimented his teammates well,” Deschamp said on Benzema’s performance.