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France centre-back Ibrahima Konate exuded confidence ahead of his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against Spain, saying Les Bleus cannot afford to fear any opponent as they prepare for one of the biggest matches of the tournament, according to Reuters.
Addressing a press conference before the last-four clash, Konate said France would focus on their own preparations and aim to deliver their best performance against the European giants. "You cannot fear anyone," Konate said, as quoted by Reuters. "We will now prepare as best as possible and hope the result in the end will favour us." The Liverpool centre-back acknowledged Spain's quality but stressed that France would not build their game plan around stopping a single player, including teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. "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," Konate said, according to Reuters. The French have reached four of the last seven World Cup finals. Should they take part in the July 19 showdown in New York, they will sustain the comparison with West Germany, arguably the ultimate tournament nation with four finals between 1974 and 1990. But Konate said the French were not wasting any thoughts on what might be. "We are staying humble, we won't fall into that trap," he said. France has enjoyed the most convincing and controlled knockout-stage campaign among the four remaining teams. After finishing top of Group I, they opened the knockout rounds with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32. They then edged past Paraguay 1-0 in a closely contested Round of 16 before producing another disciplined display to defeat Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals and secure their place in the last four. France has scored six goals in the knockout stages without conceding a single one, underlining their defensive discipline and control under pressure. Even in tightly contested encounters, their structure has remained solid, while France captain Kylian Mbappe has continued to provide the cutting edge in attack when it matters most. (ANI)
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