Substitute Haris Seferovic scored in the third minute of stoppage time to earn Switzerland a dramatic win over Ecuador in their opening Group E match. Seferovic turned in Ricardo Rodriguezs low cross as Ottmar Hitzfelds side came back from behind to claim victory. Fellow substitute Admir Mehmedi headed Switzerland level after Enner Valencia had given Ecuador a half-time lead. Valencias header from a Walter Ayovi free-kick was his fifth goal in successive games for his country. Hitzfelds two substitutions were key to turning around a match that looked to be slipping away from his side after a poor first-half display. They arrived in Brazil as Group E seeds and ranked sixth in the world, but struggled in the face of an energetic first-half Ecuador performance. Reinaldo Ruedas side are keen to make an impact in Brazil to provide a fitting tribute to forward Christian Benitez, who died of heart failure last summer. They restricted Switzerland to threatening with long-range shots and set-pieces during the opening 45 minutes, with keeper Alexander Dominguez keeping out efforts from Xherdan Shaqiri, Rodriguez and Gokhan Inler. And Ecuador went in front midway through the first half, helped by some poor Swiss defending at a free-kick. Hamburgs former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou - preferred at centre-back to Basels Fabian Schar - was culpable as striker Valencia was left unmarked six yards out to head in Ayovis delivery from the left midway through the first half.But Ecuadors lead was wiped out early in the second half from a near-identical set-piece as their defence switched off. Rodriguez whipped a corner towards the near post and Mehmedi, Freiburgs leading scorer in the Bundesliga last season, got above Carlos Gruezo to head in 121 seconds after coming on at half-time. Ecuadors exciting but inconsistent winger Jefferson Montero threatened to restore their lead by sprinting past Stephan Lichtsteiner to power in a shot that keeper Diego Benaglio beat out at the near post. Switzerland then enjoyed a good spell of pressure as their opponents appeared to tire, and Josip Drmic turned the ball into the net from a Rodriguez through-pass, but was ruled offside. Then Bayern Munich forward Shaqiri fired wastefully into the side-netting from a tight angle with two men in support after being played in by Mehmedi. Switzerland had to survive several scares in the closing stages, though, with Valencia almost grabbing a second after a mix-up between Djourou and Benaglio, before the keeper pushed away Michael Arroyos deflected free-kick. Hitzfelds side pulled through and clinched victory on the break as Valon Behrami made a brilliant defensive block before Rodriguez charged down the left and crossed low for Real Sociedad striker Seferovic to convert at the near post. Karim Benzema steals the show as Wilson Palacios is sent off Karim Benzema scored twice and created a third that was confirmed by goal-line technology as France beat Honduras 3-0 Sunday in its first World Cup match. The dominant win was a relief for France, whose team of highly paid players failed to win in South Africa and was sent home in a disgrace after going on a training strike. Benzemas first goal came from the penalty spot just before halftime after Wilson Palacios was sent off with his second yellow card for charging into the back of Paul Pogba. The Real Madrid striker calmly slotted the ball to the left of Noel Valladares to give Les Bleus a deserved lead going into the break. With Honduras down to 10 men, France continued to dominate and Benzema created the second goal in the 48th minute - the first to be confirmed by goal-line technology at the World Cup. Benzema scored his second in the 72nd, firing in powerfully from inside the area after a long range shot by right back Mathieu Debuchy was blocked. French keeper Hugo Lloris didnt have to touch the ball until the 31 minute and didnt have to make a save all night. The only downside for the French fans was that the teams national anthems werent played before the game because of an apparent malfunction - meaning they didnt get a chance to sing La Marseillaise. FIFA did not immediately give an explanation to why the anthems werent played.
