Goals: France—Benzema 45' (penalty), 72' Valladares 48' (own goal)
Recap: For some—and by some we mean irrational conspiracists—France's comprehensive 3-0 victory was riddled in controversy. It wasn't.
France was able to take a 1-0 lead just before the half after Honduras' WIlmer Palacios fouled Paul Pogba inside the area, forcing referee Emerson de Carvalho to point to the spot. Karim Benzema would bury the subsequent penalty. The real fun began in the 48th minute when Benzema's shot rattled off the far post. Initial images showed the Honduras keeper safely collect the ball before it crossed the goal line. The technology said otherwise.
The first use of it correctly showed the ball cross the line in its entirety, giving France a 2-0 lead via an own goal. The days of relying on the optical illusions of camera angles are over. Though, the one provided shows the ball cross at the peak of its bounce.
Benzema ensured there was no room for controversy in the 72nd minute, finishing his brace and giving France the group lead.
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Key Moment: A chippy affair led to Wilmer Palacios and Paul Pogba's first yellow card of the match early in the first half. It was Palacio's short temper, however, that led to his second. A corner was conceded by Honduras after France opted to not send the ball out in support of fair play. Just a few moments later, Palacios and Pogba met once more. This time, it was the Honduran who sealed his own fate, conceding a penalty and leaving his team down a man. Whatever fight Honduras had left dissipated immediately after.
Man of the Match: Two goals and the man responsible for the tournament's first use of goal-line technology. Unquestionably, it's Karim Benzema.
Lesson Learned: Honduras is a World Cup team only by name. Los Catrachos, from the start, had severe difficulty matching the superior abilities of the French national team. By the final whistle, Honduras were out-passed 611-239, outshot 20-4 and failed to deliver a single ball into the area. France, by comparison, had 19.
Up Next: France travel to Salvador to battle Switzerland for group dominance, while Honduras will look to rebound at the Arena da Baixada against Ecuador.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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