France defender Ibrahima Konate has opened up about their upcoming FIFA World Cup semi-final clash against Spain. He praised La Roja as a team and said they will not focus on just one individual player.
Les Bleus have had a stellar 2026 FIFA World Cup so far, with six wins in six games. After topping Group I, they beat Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32. They then got past Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16, before beating Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals.
France will now face Spain in the semi-finals at the Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, July 14. Ahead of the game, Konate was asked about facing Lamine Yamal during a press conference. He said (h/t Reuters):
“You cannot fear anyone. We will now prepare as best as possible and hope the result in the end will favour us. Spain are an exceptional team, with a lot of individual quality, so we won't be focusing on just one player even though Lamine (Yamal) is a great player. We are staying humble, we won't fall into that trap.”
Konate has made just one appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He played 14 minutes in Les Bleus' 4-1 thrashing of Norway in their final group game in Boston on June 26.
Lamine Yamal makes emphatic claim ahead of FIFA World Cup semi-final against France
Spain are also unbeaten in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with five wins and one draw. They topped Group H before beating Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32. They then beat Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16, and Belgium 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
After their narrow win against the Red Devils in Los Angeles on July 10, Lamine Yamal opened up about facing France in the semi-finals. He said (h/t ESPN):
"If France should fear anyone, it's us. We have knocked them out [before]. We have beat them two times. Honestly, I think we're the two best teams at the World Cup, so we'll see what happens, but we do not have any fear."
Yamal came into the tournament carrying an injury, but he has featured in every game, completing the last two. He has scored one goal in six appearances.
Meanwhile, this is the first time Spain have reached the FIFA World Cup semi-finals since winning the trophy in 2010. France, on the other hand, reached the final in the last two editions, winning it in 2018.