Real’s Benzema returning to top form

Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema, who has struggled to hit the net in the opening weeks of the 2012-13 season, says he is starting to hit top form again. “I have felt very good in the last few matches. I notice that I am making progress and that my legs are responding better. I am very pleased,” the 24-year-old said in an interview published Sunday in sports daily AS. “It was very good for me playing for France two times for the entire 90 minutes. It is important to play several matches in a row. I am also working a lot to get in top form,” he added. Benzema played a key role in France’s 1-0 win over Finland in a 2014 World Cup qualifier as he set up Abou Diaby for the only goal of the game.