Something odd happened midway through Wednesday’s extraordinary night of snakes and ladders.
As France and Portugal jostled between first, second, third and fourth place in Group F, even time seemed unsure of where it stood.
During three additional minutes at the end of the first half in Budapest, Karim Benzema converted from the penalty spot. The clock read: 46:44.
Karim Benzema spent nearly six years exiled from France but his comeback is timely
Then, shortly after the break, he raced on to Paul Pogba’s precise pass and skewed in a second — 2-1, 46:44 gone. A numerical quirk laced with poetic irony.
For nearly six years, time has stood still on Benzema’s international career with France. And then when he finally exorcised the demons of that long exile, the clocks seemed to stop once more. Certainly, everything paused for 90 minutes in Bron, Benzema’s hometown in Lyon’s eastern suburbs.
‘The town organised a Fan Zone, where 900 people came to watch the match,’ says Frederic Rigolet, who coached Benzema as a kid. ‘It was a party to celebrate his return. We couldn’t wait to see him score and when the penalty went in, the crowd chanted his name for several minutes. It was amazing.’
In October, Benzema will stand trial for his alleged role in a blackmail conspiracy involving former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena. He denies wrongdoing.
He had been overlooked by France for alleged role in blackmail involving Mathieu Valbuena
That date in court could begin the end of a saga which has altered the course of Benzema’s life and hung over French football. For years, a sour taste and unanswered questions lingered as aftershocks rumbled across society at large.
The affair dates back to October 2015. Investigators believe Benzema was approached by a childhood friend over a sex tape involving his team-mate. The forward is accused of pressuring Valbuena to pay blackmailers who were threatening to release the video.
He was arrested and Manuel Valls, France’s then prime minister, wanted him out of the team.
His wish was granted: Benzema was suspended from France duty and overlooked for Euro 2016 and the triumphant 2018 World Cup.
The striker accused Didier Deschamps of ‘bowing to the pressure of a racist part of France’ and soon vandals smeared ‘racist’ on the wall of the France boss’s house. ‘I can never forget that,’ Deschamps said in January. ‘It crossed a line.’
But then everything changed in April. Another private conversation, another round of: who said what? This time it was Deschamps and Benzema who, away from prying ears, treated old wounds.
Didier Deschamps (left) and Benzema have treated old wounds and striker is back once again
His recall spoke chiefly to the pragmatism that has defined Deschamps’ reign. With Olivier Giroud — the non-scoring focal point in 2018 — short of games, the France coach decided to marry this exciting generation with a relic from a previous era synonymous with botched potential.
So far, Les Bleus’s holy trinity of Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann are still to find their groove. In Budapest, though, France’s old new No 9 carried them into the last 16.
Benzema missed a penalty during a warm-up game against Wales. He had a goal ruled out during the victory over Germany. When he finally broke his 2,085-day duck, it was fitting that Cristiano Ronaldo shared the stage.
The pair were signed by Real Madrid a few days apart in 2009, shortly after Florentino Perez was re-elected president. Over the next decade, they formed a frightening partnership.
Returning Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said Benzema was the glue that held his BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) attack together.
The striker’s return to scoring is not before time but his form could be vital for France’s hopes
‘The best compliment you can pay to him is that Cristiano was in love with Benzema at Real Madrid,’ Jose Mourinho recently told The Times. ‘For Cristiano to be in love with another attacker means he does a lot for Cristiano and everyone around him.’
In Budapest, Ronaldo shook Benzema’s hand after his first goal. Moments later, they swapped shirts. It was Benzema who was named man of the match — even after Ronaldo’s own brace took him level with Ali Daei’s international goalscoring record.
The Frenchman’s move to Madrid came after Perez travelled to Bron. When Sportsmail visited the district last year, a code of silence lingered.
Across France, Benzema’s Algerian heritage and various scrapes had muddied his reputation and turned the striker into a political football for conversations about identity and integration.
Coaches at his first club, SC Bron Terraillon Perle, however, opted against discussing Benzema’s off-field issues with local kids. Not when the 33-year-old offers hope of a life beyond the long shadow of high-rise housing. But the roots Benzema made in Bron remain entwined with his story.
The Real Madrid man (right) stole the show with former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo
Many of his family still live around the suburb where he met those childhood friends.
Many fans in Bron stopped supporting France during his exclusion. Since his recall, shirt sales are said to have sky-rocketed across France. In Bron, Rigolet claims many locals have made their peace with the team and many young players now wear his No 19.
Those close to Benzema say his years in the wilderness fuelled his desire to win Deschamps over.
‘I was waiting for these goals,’ Benzema said after the draw with Portugal. ‘I can feel expectation from the whole country, which is normal after years of waiting. Celebrating with the fans warmed my heart and I hope there will be many more nights like this.’
