France head into their World Cup semi-final against Spain on Tuesday without fear, according to defender Ibrahima Konate, but they are fully aware of the standard of their opponents and the strength of a defence that has been almost impossible to breach.
Spain have conceded just once across the tournament as they reached the last four while chasing a second World Cup triumph. France, meanwhile, bring real familiarity with Spain into the match, having been beaten by them in the Euro 2024 semi-final and then again in last year’s Nations League last-four tie.
“You cannot fear anyone,” Konate said at a press conference. “We will prepare as well as possible and hope the result ends up favouring us.”
Konate also stressed that Spain’s threat is not confined to a single figure, even though Lamine Yamal has stood out. “Spain are an exceptional team, with a lot of individual quality,” the centre-back added. “So we won’t focus on just one player, even though Lamine is a great player.” He came on briefly as a substitute during France’s final group match against Norway.
As France look toward what would be their fifth World Cup final, Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba have started at centre-back throughout the competition. The French have reached four of the last seven World Cup showpieces, and if they play on July 19 in New York, they would keep pace with West Germany, widely regarded as one of the most successful tournament sides, having contested four finals between 1974 and 1990.
Despite the weight of history, Konate insisted France are not getting distracted by any outside narratives. “We are staying humble, we won’t fall into that trap,” he said.
The semi-final may come down to France’s ability to break down Spain’s defence, which has been the tournament’s most formidable, while also limiting how much room and space Spain’s wide threat creates—particularly in the form of Yamal’s runs down the flanks.
Maxence Lacroix echoed that message, choosing his words carefully on how to frame Spain’s danger. “I would not say ‘fear’ but we are conscious of their quality,” he said. “They have won all their matches, except for a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in the group, so we respect them. They have high-quality players but we want to win.”
Lacroix singled out Yamal as a key player for Spain, noting that the winger has drawn praise for repeatedly making life difficult for opposing defenders and for benefiting from the spaces created by his team-mates. “We will defend well, the best,” Lacroix said. “Lamine is a very good player and he has shown he can hurt teams at this World Cup. We will do the work that is needed.”
