France's Macron scores penalty in charity soccer match

French President Emmanuel Macron runs for the ball as he plays with the Varietes Club de France soccer team during a charity soccer match against a team of Poissy-Saint-Germain-en-Laye hospital medical staff at the Leo Lagrange stadium in Poissy, France, October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

French President Emmanuel Macron scored a penalty goal when he turned out for a team of celebrities in a charity match on Thursday.

Macron, playing in midfield and wearing the number 3 on his back, was handed the ball and invited to take the spot kick after an opposing player brought down one of Macron's team-mates in the penalty box.

Macron, who is 43, fired his shot low and into the centre of the goal, wrong-footing the goalkeeper who had already started diving to his right. The goal-keeper managed to get a leg to the ball, but could not keep it out of the net.

French President Emmanuel Macron trains before a charity soccer match with the Varietes Club de France soccer team and against a team of Poissy-Saint-Germain-en-Laye hospital medical staff at the Leo Lagrange stadium in Poissy, France, October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

Macron's goal, which came after around 10 minutes of play in the first half, brought the scores level at 1-1.

Macron's team-mates included Arsene Wenger, former manager of English side Arsenal, and French former professional players Marcel Desailly and Christian Karembeu.

The game, in the town of Poissy, near Paris, is to raise money for the Paris and France Hospitals Foundation. Macron was up against a team made up of staff from the Poissy/Saint-Germain-en-Laye hospital.