Skip to main content

France show you can win without a striker

Spain raised eyebrows when they started their Group C game against Italy without forwards Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Negredo but the experiment failed as they were held to a 1-1 draw.

Torres started against Ireland in the following game and led the world champions to an emphatic 4-0 win.

"I'm not focusing on the fact that he does not score," coach Laurent Blanc told reporters.

"He is an important player who links with the wing players. The most important thing is the movements of the players."

"At Real, he also plays in deep zones," Blanc said, adding that Benzema could score at any time.

"If we had not decided to take him off the pitch [15 minutes from time], perhaps he would have scored.

"It is not a problem and he will score in the next game."

"Making others score is good and it is a pleasure for me," he said.

"I like to be part of the construction, play deep. I need this."