‘Spain were better’ – Ibrahima Konaté on France’s loss in the World Cup semifinals

‘Spain were better’ – Ibrahima Konaté on France’s loss in the World Cup semifinals Three days have passed, but the pain of France’s elimination at the hands of Spain (2-0) in the World Cup semifinals has not. Speaking at a press conference on the eve of Saturday’s third-place match between Les Bleus and England (who lost 2-1 to Argentina), Ibrahima Konaté (27) found himself – almost against his will – reflecting on the match against La Roja. “Three straight losses – that hurts, and as a competitor, we can’t accept it,” the new Real Madrid defender admitted, referring to the recent matchups between the two European powerhouses. “At Euro 2024, they were better than us, but there was still a chance. In the Nations League, that team was better than the one we played against a few days ago. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were at 100%. In the last match, they were better than us.” For Konaté, who spent the tournament as a substitute, it is now important for France to “learn and understand” the reasons behind these setbacks, even though, in his view, Tuesday’s defeat is very easy to explain. “We came up against a Spanish team that were better,” he stated matter-of-factly, refuting the idea that the Spanish might have gotten into the French players’ heads before the match. But as the defender knows, this isn’t the end of the road. There will be other opportunities for Les Bleus to get their revenge. And they’ll do everything they can to be ready for this next battle. GFFN | Léo Aschi