France were handed an injury scare few days before the Euros kick off after striker Karim Benzema was forced off in the friendly against Bulgaria.
Benzema came off four minutes before halftime having seemed to land awkwardly following a header as Les Blues completed their pre-tournament friendly with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Yasen Petrov’s men.
Olivier Giroud came on for the Real Madrid star at half-time, making the most of his time on the pitch by his 45th and 46th international goals late in the game.
“It’s a knock on the knee, which also affects the muscle. He felt he was getting stiff so he asked to be subbed,” coach Didier Deschamps told TF1 regarding Benzema’s injury. “The medical staff are taking care of him.”
Benzema has just returned to the international set-up following six years in wilderness – having previously been cast aside by Deschamps since 2015 following his alleged role in the sex-tape blackmail of former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.
Antoine Griezmann netted a bicycle kick for the team’s first goal in front of 5,000 fans at Stade de France.
France head into this summer’s tournament as favourites, and even without Benzema they would still fancy their chances.
However, the World Cup champions will be desperate that the 33-year-old is fully fit in time for their Euro 2020 opener against Germany next Tuesday evening.
