France striker Karim Benzema has conceded that his penalty-taking needs some work after missing from 12 yards in last night's 1-0 win over Sweden.

The Real Madrid hitman missed the opportunity to give Les Bleus breathing space by firing a late penalty over the crossbar after Oscar Wendt was penalised for handball.

"On the penalty, I wanted to hit the ball hard. I am disappointed but what is important is the win," Benzema told reporters.

"The better we are on the pitch, the more that the fans will support us. I would have liked to score this penalty. I need to work on them in training."

Raphael Varane, who captained the French on the night, scored the only goal of the game as Didier Deschamps's side ended 2014 on a winning note.