Karim Benzema: Felt joy, pride in wearing France shirt again

France’s Karim Benzema during the friendly against Wales on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

Karim Benzema said he was happy with his performance despite a missed penalty as he made his first France appearance in almost six years in Wednesday's 3-0 Euro 2020 friendly win over Wales here.

Mbappe, Griezmann score

Benzema had been left out of Didier Deschamps's squad since October 2015 due to his alleged role in a blackmail plot. Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele were on the scoresheet for the World Cup winners against the Euro 2016 semi-finalists, who had Neco Williams sent off for handling the ball in his area. "I felt good throughout the match. It's a good omen for what's to come. The key is to create chances, win and do better the next time to score more goals," Benzema told television channel TF1. "I felt a lot of pride and joy in wearing the shirt again. I wanted to play and to show what I can do tonight on the field," he added.

Depay rescues Dutch

Memphis Depay scored twice to salvage a 2-2 draw for the Netherlands against a Scotland side missing seven players following midfielder John Fleck's positive Covid-19 test. Celtic centre-back Jack Hendry drilled in from 20 yards to give Scotland an early lead with his first international goal, but Depay soon equalised with a crisp volley. Kevin Nisbet put the Scots back ahead after coming on as a substitute on the hour, also netting his first Scotland goal in just his second appearance.

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