Benzema exits France’s final pre-Euro friendly with ‘dead leg’

AFP/Editor

Karim Benzema was forced to leave the pitch with a dead leg during France’s final pre-Euro 2020 friendly against Bulgaria, after being recalled to the national team following a near six-year exile.

Benzema, 33, was taken off in the 39th minute at the Stade De France in what is France’s last match before they take on Germany in their opening match of the European Championship next week.

The Real Madrid forward was replaced by Olivier Giroud and was captured by French television in pain as team doctors examined his right leg.

He had fallen heavily when attempting a header a few minutes earlier.

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“It’s a dead leg. He took a good hit on the muscle above the knee,” France coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster M6.

“He stopped playing because he felt it hardening… the medical staff are at his side.”

The prolific star had been sidelined by Les Bleus since 2015 over his alleged role in a blackmail plot involving his former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

He missed out on France’s 2018 World Cup win and their run to the Euro 2016 final on home soil.

Benzema has scored 27 goals for France and was last month named as this season’s best French foreign-based player by the country’s players’ association.

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He scored 29 goals last season for Real Madrid, passing 20 league goals in all three seasons since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018.

Tropical storm Priscilla forms off Mexico, expected to strengthen into hurricane

Tropical Storm Priscilla, the sixteenth cyclone of the Pacific season, formed in recent hours off the coasts of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and could strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane in the coming days, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported on Saturday.

In a statement, the SMN said that as of 3:00 p.m. (El Salvador time), the storm’s center was located 460 kilometers (286 miles) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima. Priscilla currently packs maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h (47 mph), with gusts reaching 95 km/h (59 mph), and is moving northwest at 11 km/h (7 mph).

According to the projected track, Priscilla will move parallel to Mexico’s western coastline and could intensify into a Category 1 hurricane between Sunday night and early Monday.

In coordination with the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the SMN issued a tropical storm watch from Punta San Telmo (Michoacán) to Punta Mita (Nayarit).

The agency also warned that Priscilla’s extensive rain bands could produce heavy rainfall (75–150 mm) in Michoacánand Guerrero, and very heavy rainfall (50–75 mm) in Jalisco and Colima.

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Additionally, wind gusts of 70–80 km/h are expected along the coasts of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and 40–50 km/h in Guerrero. Wave heights could reach 2.5 to 3.5 meters (8–11 feet) in Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and 1.5 to 2.5 meters (5–8 feet) in Guerrero.

“These rains could be accompanied by electrical activity and may cause flooding, landslides, and overflowing in low-lying areas,” the SMN warned. “Strong winds may also topple trees and billboards. Residents are urged to follow official updates, heed Civil Protection advisories, and take precautions due to strong winds and high surf.”

So far this year, sixteen named storms have formed in the eastern Pacific: Alvin, Bárbara, Cosme, Dalila, Erick, Flossie, Gil, Henriette, Ivo, Juliette, Kiko, Lorena, Mario, Narda, Octave, and Priscilla.

Mexico’s meteorological forecast predicts up to 20 named storms in the Pacific basin this season, of which four to sixcould become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).

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Deportes

FBI hunts former athlete accused of leading cocaine trafficking network

A former Olympic snowboarder has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, accused of running a drug cartel that trafficked hundreds of kilos of Colombian cocaine from Mexico to the U.S. and Canada.

Ryan Wedding, 43, from Thunder Bay, Canada, was included on the list Thursday, replacing alleged child rapist and murderer Alexis Flores.

Authorities believe Wedding fled to Mexico and is now under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. The FBI accuses him of leading a transnational drug trafficking network, orchestrating regular shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Known by aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Gigante,” and “Public Enemy,” Wedding is also accused of ordering multiple murders, including the 2023 killing of an innocent Canadian couple in a case of mistaken identity.