Konaté responds to Yamal: Our team fears no one

French defender Ibrahima Konaté, who recently transferred to Real Madrid, responded to Barcelona player Lamine Yamal's statements that France should fear facing Spain, ahead of the anticipated match between the two teams in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday evening.

Yamal said: 'France should fear us; we have succeeded in eliminating them twice.' Konaté responded in statements to journalists: 'Let him say what he wants, we are not afraid, and we should not fear anyone but rather be humble and not fall into the trap, especially at this crucial stage of the tournament. Our focus is on the match and not on the hype around it. Honestly, we don't pay attention to what is said; we try to prepare in the best possible way, and in the end, we'll see who wins.'

Regarding the most dangerous keys of the Spanish national team, Konaté clarified: 'We are not focusing only on stopping Yamal; Spain is an exceptional team with a group of individual talents, so we are not concentrating on just one player, because the entire team can pose a threat.'

The French defender highlighted the collective performance of Spain across all lines, saying: 'Their attacking style is very distinctive and exceptional.'

Konaté concluded his statements by saying: 'But we need a collective effort across all our lines, including goalkeeper Maignan, because what the Spanish team offers is exceptional and amazing performance.'

Spain had previously defeated France 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semifinals in Germany, later winning the title against England. The Spanish repeated their victory with a 5-4 win over France in the UEFA Nations League semifinals, but ultimately lost the final to Portugal on penalties.