Benzema out of World Cup

Defending champion France’s World Cup hopes took a huge blow with the news that star striker Karim Benzema is out of the tournament after tearing a muscle in his left thigh during training on Saturday. ‘‘Karim Benzema is out of the World Cup,’’ the French soccer federation said. ‘‘After hurting the quadriceps on his left thigh the Real Madrid striker is forced to give up on taking part in the World Cup.’’ Benzema was participating in his first full training session with Les Bleus when he had to come off after feeling some pain in his left thigh. ‘‘He went for an MRI scan in a hospital in Doha, which unfortunately confirmed a tear,’’ the FFF said, adding that he will need three weeks to recover.