Benzema bags brace as France pounds short-handed Honduras
Karim Benzema scored twice and forced the third to lead France past a disjointed and 10-man Honduras 3-0 and announce their return to form on Sunday.
Honduran Wilson Palacios was sent off late in the first half for a second bookable offense, allowing the Real Madrid star to score the winner from the spot. Benzema would then make the play that led to a Noel Valladares own goal; then added a capper late in the second half.
France showed they were a threat early, with Blaise Matuidi forcing Valladares to palm his shot onto the crossbar after excellent service from Mathieu Valbuena created the chance.
Griezmann, in particular, was far too hot for the slow and aging Hondurans to handle. Time and time again, he would sail cutting passes from the wings to unleash Valbuena or Matuidi, showing that he is a talent to watch.
The key moment came when Palacios and Paul Pogba tangled in the 28th minute. Palacios appeared to tramp on Pogba, who then retaliated by kicking out. A less charitable ref might have shown red, but Sandro Ricci only cautioned the two, and it was probably correct on the balance.
But Palacios, apparently not learning his lesson, then put an elbow into the back of Pogba inside the penalty area in the 43rd minute. Pogba threw himself onto the turf in theatrical fashion, but the foul was needless and stupid from Palacios. Ricci had no more use for charity: he pointed directly to the spot, then hauled out both cards to send the Honduran to the showers.
Benzema would make no mistake from the spot, blasting the ball high and hard into the roof of the net, and from that moment on the game was over.
Replays seemed to indicate the ball had not crossed the line, but the buzzer went off, and the ref gave it, much to the consternation of manager Luis Suarez.
The irony was that Valladares didn't need to play the ball as the shot was coming straight back out. It was his intervention -- and subsequent fumble of the ball รข€“ that iced the game for the French.
From that point on, Le Bleus simply strolled, over-elaborating on passing moves and at times simply showing off. Honduras, not known for their class, responded with a series of tough if not outright dirty tackles, and Ricci had a busy spell calming matters down.
Benzema would then exploited a rebound off a free kick to power a shot from an acute angle right through Valladares and end the contest in the 72nd minute. Mathieu Debuchy slammed a piledriver in that was gamely cleared off the line, but only as far as Benzema. He made no mistake.
Dramatic stoppage-time game winner lifts Switzerland over Ecuador
Switzerland grabbed a winner with virtually the final kick to earn a 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the World Cup on Sunday, extending a run of come-from-behind wins that are becoming a theme of the tournament.
Sluggish in the first half-hour, Switzerland — highly fancied after rising to No. 6 in the FIFA rankings — conceded a sloppy goal to go behind when Enner Valencia rose unmarked in the 22nd minute and headed in a free kick from six yards (meters).
Ecuador's defending for the 48th-minute equalizer was just as abject, however, with Admir Mehmedi finding space from even closer in to nod in a corner.
With just seconds left in the third and final minute of stoppage time, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a length-of-the-field move by slamming home a close-range shot. After wild Swiss celebrations, Ecuador's shell-shocked players barely had time to restart before the final whistle was blown.
It was the fifth time in the first nine matches in Brazil that a team had come from a goal down to win — but this was the most dramatic of all the comebacks.
Messi inspires tough Argentina win over Bosnia
Argentina went up a goal in the third minute through a clumsy effort. Bosnia's Emir Kolasninac's block of a Messi freekick which then cruelly rolled in at the far post.
Undeterred by the self-goal, the Bosnians pushed forward.
For the Argentines, it was a laborious first half.
By the hour, Bosnia had had 10 shots at goal to Argentina's three. It was then Messi did his magic, slightly belated, but magic nonetheless.
He latched on to a ball in midway into the Bosnian half, played a one-two with Higuain, cut past along the left on the edge of the penalty area and as rival defenders Ermin Bicakcic and Muhammed Pjanic fell over themselves trying to stop him, our man had placed the ball at the far post, beating Asmir Begovic in goal, striking the post and deflecting in.
The Maracana roared and roared its approval, and Messi, found himself screaming out years of pent-up World Cup underachievement.
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