After ending a nearly six-year wait for an international goal, Karim Benzema could score again as soon as Monday.
France will face Switzerland in the round of 16 at the European Championship and the striker may relish that contest for a couple of reasons.
Benzema might play more freely after scoring both goals in the 2-2 draw against Portugal on Wednesday, taking a huge weight off his back. They were his first goals for Les Bleus since October 2015.
“Everyone was waiting for this,” the Real Madrid forward said. “The pressure is different than when you’re playing for your club.”
He might also feel confident because it was against the Swiss that he produced his previous best performance for France in a 5-2 win at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He scored with an opportunist finish, set up a goal for Moussa Sissoko, and had a superb curling strike disallowed because it crossed the line just after referee Bjorn Kuipers blew the final whistle.
Euro 2020 Portugal v France player ratings
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PORTUGAL RATINGS: Rui Patricio - 7, Made an absolutely superb double save to deny Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann, while he also pulled off a decent stop to deny Kylian Mbappe. AFP -
Nelson Semedo - 6, Made some very good runs forward and was resolute defensively. However, he gave away France’s penalty for a foul on Mbappe and was forced off with a late injury. EPA -
Pepe - 7, Showed good leadership in some difficult situations and defended well throughout the game. EPA -
Ruben Dias - 6, Put in a solid display for large periods of the game but played Benzema onside and lost him for France’s second of the game. Reuters -
Raphael Guerreiro - 7, Was strong defensively, with France often opting to attack down the opposite side to him until Kingsley Coman came on. AFP -
Joao Moutinho - 6, His ball in from a free kick delivery led to Hugo Lloris taking out Danilo Pereira, but his shooting from range was off. EPA -
Danilo Pereira - 7, Won the first penalty with a brave header and showed composure and control throughout whether he was on or off the ball. EPA -
Renato Sanches - 9, This was the midfielder’s first start of the tournament, but it surely won’t be his last. He made his presence known from the very beginning and was busy in his performance, while also showing plenty of quality. EPA -
Bernardo Silva - 7, Showed real intelligence in his play, linked up with Semedo well and undoubtedly got the better of Lucas Hernandez throughout the first half. Had a quieter second half but still did well. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo - 9, Had never previously scored against France but made no mistake from the penalty spot and he became the top scoring European player at major tournaments with his first. The ball from Portugal’s talisman won their second penalty and he scored that just as confidently to become the joint-highest international scorer. Reuters -
Diogo Jota - 5, Struggled to get into the game throughout and didn’t show much of a threat at all, looking off the pace at times. AFP -
SUB: Joao Palhinha (Danilo HT) - 7, Made some very nice switches and put a shift in defensively to help his team earn a point. AFP -
SUB: Bruno Fernandes (Silva 72’) – N/R, Showed plenty of composure and came close to carving out chances for Ronaldo and Jota. Slowed the game down when he could. EPA -
SUB: Ruben Neves (Moutinho 73’) – N/R, Made a good header to deny a possible goalscoring chance and showed discipline. AFP -
SUB: Diogo Dalot (Semedo 79’) – N/R, Was thrown in at the deep end with this being his international debut but performed well. AFP -
SUB: Sergio Oliveira (Sanches 87’) – N/R, Showed plenty of desire to help his team get the result needed. AFP -
FRANCE RATINGS: Hugo Lloris - 4, Punched Danilo in the face to concede the penalty and get a booking, while he didn’t make any outstanding saves. AFP -
Jules Kounde - 5, Was solid defensively for large periods but gave away a penalty for handball. Made the odd foray forward with inconsistent end product. Reuters -
Raphael Varane - 6, Got away with the strange decision to make a header that fell at Ronaldo’s feet and looked awkward at times. EPA -
Presnel Kimpembe - 7, Made some good interventions in important positions, including one when Semedo could have got behind. Booked for a foul on Ronaldo. AFP -
Lucas Hernandez - 4, Struggled to deal with Silva so much that he was taken off at half time and was booked for holding onto him. AFP -
Corentin Tolisso - 5, Couldn’t really make his mark on the game and some of his passing was off when some extra quality could have carved out a goalscoring chance. AFP -
N’Golo Kante - 7, Was his usual busy self as he helped to win the ball back, while also showing moments of quality on the ball. AFP -
Paul Pogba - 9, Some of his passing was simply outstanding. The midfielder played an incredible pass through to Mbappe that deserved a finish, while another clipped ball to the same man won France’s penalty. He then put a pinpoint pass through for Benzema to score France’s second. AFP -
Antoine Griezmann - 6, Put in some brilliant defensive work, but was booked for a tackle on Danilo. He was inconsistent when it came to his attacking play. AFP -
Karim Benzema - 9, Had missed his last three penalties for France but sent Patricio the wrong way this time around. Then went on to score a second after latching onto Pogba’s pass. EPA -
Kylian Mbappe - 7, His runs in behind caused problems for the Portugal defence with one winning the penalty, but his finishing wasn’t the best. EPA -
SUB Lucas Digne (Hernandez HT) – N/R, Lasted just five minutes before going down with a muscle injury that forced him off. Reuters -
SUB: Adrien Rabiot (Digne 52’) - 7, Showed quality with the ball at his feet, got forward well and also displayed his defensive abilities. Reuters -
SUB: Kingsley Coman (Tolisso 66’) - 7, Good link up play with his teammates and created a great opening for Griezmann, even if it was wasted. Reuters -
SUB: Moussa Sissoko (Griezman 87’) – N/R, Didn’t have too much to do as the game dramatically slowed down towards the end. AFP
Brazilian fans in Salvador warmed to his flamboyant style and he was the No. 1 striker for coach Didier Deschamps. Antoine Griezmann was emerging on the international scene and Olivier Giroud was behind Benzema in the hierarchy.
The following year, Benzema’s international career was in freefall after a fallout with Deschamps.
It cost Benzema a place at Euro 2016, where France lost to Portugal in the final. Then, he watched from his television as France won the 2018 World Cup.
A change of heart from Deschamps saw Benzema surprisingly recalled just before Euro 2020 and, after a frustrating performance last Saturday against Hungary, he was at his classy best against Portugal.
“Those goals were important for Karim,” Deschamps said. “But he never stopped believing in himself and I’ve never stopped believing in him.”
Benzema’s tally of 29 goals in 86 international appearances seems a bit low for a player of such technical ability. However, there is far more to his game than goals. He is an unselfish forward who creates space for others, a mixture of finisher, playmaker and provider.
Former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s record all-time leading scorer with 450 goals and credited Benzema’s role in achieving that during the nine years they played together. Their bond was evident when they walked off the field on Wednesday with their arms around each other.
Benzema has come into his own at Madrid since Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018.
He has moved up to fifth overall on Madrid’s list of scorers with 279 goals and is tied for fourth highest in the Champions League with 71.
