France have made a perfect start to their Brazil 2014 campaign with a Karim Benzema-inspired 3-0 win over ten-man Honduras.
The Real Madrid striker scored twice (brace) and had a large hand in another as Les Bleus moved to the top of Group E with an emphatic victory at Porto Alegre's Estadio Beira-Rio.
Blaise Matuidi had come closest prior to that pivotal moment, forcing a superb, instinctive save from Noel Valladares, who tipped the French midfielder's stabbed shot on to the top of the crossbar.
But just as Honduras appeared set to return to the dressing rooms at half-time having kept a clean sheet, Palacios conceded a penalty and was sent packing for a clear barge in the back of Paul Pogba.
Benzema accepted responsibility for the resultant kick and dispatched it in fine style, sending Valladares the wrong way with a powerful shot high to the keeper's right.
That same duel, between keeper and striker, was to be reprised shortly after the restart and again it ended in agony for the former. This time, Valladares endured the indignity of scoring an own goal, spilling the ball over the line in his attempts to gather a Benzema volley that had rebounded off the inside of the post.
With 18 minutes remaining, Benzema secured the win smashing an unstoppable shot into the net from an acute angle after Mathieu Debuchy's initial effort had been blocked.
Meanwhile Switzerland earlier fought from a goal down to beat Ecuador 2-1.
