LONDON: Karim Benzema was forced to leave the pitch with a dead leg on Tuesday as world champions France beat Bulgaria 3-0 in their final friendly one week before beginning their Euro 2020 campaign.

Benzema was taken off in the 39th minute at the Stade De France in what is France’s last match before they take on Germany in their opening Group ‘F’ match of the European Championship against Germany on June 15.

France also face reigning European champions Portugal and Hungary, who will play two of their group matches in front of big crowds at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

The 33-year-old Benzema had been recalled with great fanfare to the national team following a near six-year exile, but his replacement Olivier Giroud showed why Les Bleus are considered among the favourites for the tournament with a late brace which took his France total to 46.

Giroud, 34, is now just five goals behind France’s all-time top scorer Thierry Henry but will likely be sidelined when Benzema returns.

“When people call on me, the most important thing is to do the job,” Giroud told broadcaster M6. “I had good service from my team-mates. They know where I’m going to be in the box so I just tried to finish well.”

Antoine Griezmann scored the opening goal in front of 5,000 joyous supporters who were also celebrating their return to live football in the stadium.

Fans were allowed in if they had a negative test for Covid-19 within the previous 48 hours or proof they had been completely innoculated for the virus.

The supporters were worried when, with France already ahead thanks to Griezmann, Benzema sat down in the middle of the pitch and was checked over by team doctors after having fallen heavily when attempting a header a few minutes earlier.

He then left the field, but France coach Didier Deschamps played down the injury, saying it was a “dead leg”.

“He took a good hit on the muscle above the knee,” Deschamps told M6. “He stopped playing because he felt it hardening... the medical staff are at his side.”

Benzema had been sidelined by Les Bleus since 2015 over his alleged role in a blackmail plot involving his former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

He missed out on France’s 2018 World Cup win and their run to the Euro 2016 final on home soil.

SPAIN’S YOUNG DEBUTANTS BEAT LITHUANIA

Spain’s group of young debutants beat Lithuania 4-0 in their final warm-up.

The Spain team was made up of players from the under-21 squad, as well as its coach, after captain Sergio Busquets tested positive for Covid-19.

From the 20 players called up for the match, 19 had never played for the senior national team.

The friendly counted as a first-team match, with players getting caps and an official debut for coach Luis de la Fuente with the main squad.

De la Fuente named 10 debutants plus Bryan Gil in the starting line-up. The last time Spain had 10 debutants for a senior international was in 1941, against Portugal, after the team had not played since Spain’s Civil War broke out in 1936.

Valencia defender Hugo Guillamon got Spain off to the perfect start in the third minute and Brahim Diaz doubled their lead in the 24th before Abel Ruiz had a penalty saved by Lithuania goalkeeper Tomas Svedkauskas.

Juan Miranda curled in a free kick nine minutes into the second half and fellow substitute Javi Puado capped a great night for the youngsters in the 73rd.

Spain, whose first team squad will be vaccinated on Wednesday according to the country’s health ministry, open their Euro campaign in Group ‘E’ against Sweden in Seville on Monday.

The Swedes have also been affected by the virus, announcing on Tuesday positive tests for Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg.

The Czech Republic beat Albania 3-1, while Iceland drew 2-2 in Poland and Hungary was held to a 0-0 by Ireland in Budapest.

The Irish players were booed by a section of Hungarian supporters for taking a knee before kick-off to support the sport’s anti-racism campaign.

“The fact it was booed is incomprehensible,” Ireland manager Stephen Kenny said. “It’s disappointing and it doesn’t reflect well on Hungary, really.”

The incident followed the England team being booed at home by some fans for making the anti-racism gesture during two warm-up games.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2021