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10th Jun 2016

Karim Benzema could only watch France’s dramatic opening victory from afar

Missing out

Ben Kiely

Despite being France’s best striking option, Karim Benzema will play no part in Euro 2016.

But he was still supporting Les Bleus as they scraped to a last-minute victory over Romania thanks to Dimitri Payet’s stunning 89th-minute winner.

The Real Madrid star was suspended from the national team due to his involvement in a blackmail scam over a sex tape involving Mathieu Valbuena.

Benzema may face up to five years behind bars over the accusations that he encouraged the midfielder to pay the blackmailers, as the case is still ongoing.

He recently voiced his disappointment over his exclusion from the squad, while simultaneously taking a swipe at France’s coach, Didier Deschamps claiming he “bowed to the pressure of a racist part of France”.

Despite all this, he’s still fully behind his country at the tournament as he showed fans during the opening game of the tournament from the comfort of his couch.

The Frenchman posted a picture on Instagram to show his support for the his countrymen in the tournament, showing him watching their opener against Romania on television and wishing the hosts luck in the caption.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGfDdq3l3ao/