Deschamps reveals how Benzema got injured

Karim Benzema will miss the World Cup in Qatar due to a thigh injury in his left leg. The Ballon d’Or winner was injured on Saturday after training for the first time with the group. Hours later, the French Football Federation confirmed the mishap, reporting that he will be out for three weeks.

In an interview with Telefoot, Deschamps, who confirmed that he was not going to bring in a replacement for Benzema, described how the striker’s injury came about: “He took a big hit, obviously. He was available throughout the session, it was a harmless contact... it was on the other leg, the left, while the other, the right, already suffered a hamstring injury.

“In training, unfortunately, it can happen that you get injured. It is never the right time. It is not a relapse. He has a problem, unfortunately. These things never make you happy. We had already lost Christopher Nkunku and everyone was very sad. Now it’s Karim. But we have a goal and the group knows very well what awaits us with Tuesday’s game,” Deschamps added.

Benzema’s injury, as has been confirmed, is not a recurrence of the muscular discomfort he suffered before the World Cup. The striker had followed a specific schedule this week to try to be back for France’s first match in Qatar. However, the immediacy of the tournament and the lack of preparation have prevented him from playing in what would have been his second and possibly last World Cup.

Group D World Cup fixtures