WORLD champion France got its Euro 2020 preparations off to a fine start with a 3-0 win over Wales on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Germany drew with Denmark 1-1 as Florian Neuhaus poked home a loose ball from inside the six-meter box in the 48th minute to give Germany a 1-0 lead early in the second half, but Denmark hit back through Yussuf Poulsen in the 71st to earn a morale-boosting draw with the 2016 semifinalists.

France’s Karim Benzema missed a penalty and hit the post on his international return.

Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele grabbed the goals. Dembele’s 79th-minute effort came after Benzema superbly controlled a cross on his chest and swiveled sharply only for his shot to strike the post and fall for Dembele.

“I felt a lot of pride, I wanted to play and to show it. That’s what I did tonight,” Benzema said. “I had very good feelings out there. It’s been a difficult season with a lot of matches but I felt good all game.”

Wales played more than one hour with 10 players after defender Neco Williams was sent off for a goal-saving handball to set up the penalty that Benzema missed in the 27th.

It came after Paul Pogba’s downward header was well saved by Ward and Benzema’s goal-bound follow-up was handled by Williams. A long video review led to a straight red card for the Liverpool defender.

Benzema played his first game for Les Bleus for nearly six years, and took only four minutes to forge a chance when his glancing header from Pogba’s cross drew a smart save from goalkeeper Danny Ward.

He formed a formidable attack alongside Barcelona’s Griezmann and Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain star who opened the scoring in the 34th soon after Benzema’s penalty miss.

Benzema’s penalty was firmly struck, but Ward dived to his right and denied the Real Madrid star his 28th international goal.

Benzema’s last game for France was when he scored twice against Armenia in October 2015, also at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.

(SD-Agencies)