Ibrahima Konate has responded to criticism of Arsenal player William Saliba as France gets ready for the Euro 2024 semi-final against Spain Sportsbuddy.ng reports.
Initially, Konate was anticipated to feature alongside Dayot Upamecano in the French defending line, but Didier Deschamps has preferred Saliba to start all the games.
Les Bleus have only let in one goal thus far in the competition and Saliba has been commended for his performances especially against Romelu Lukaku during the encounter in which France beat Belgium 1-0.
Konate Answers
Nevertheless, some criticism came out after a fan account noted a blunder by Saliba in the quarter-final match against Portugal.
International watch:
83’| William Saliba concedes a free kick in a dangerous position, reckless. pic.twitter.com/Ba7EBUd826
— 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗙𝗖 (@KonateFC) July 5, 2024
Konate’s response on x was “My brother, stop doing that; Saliba is so good, and he’s my brother! He deserves all this! Let’s be happy for him. Thank you for supporting me; I wasn’t 100 per cent; it’s all. Now we have to go to the final.
Semi Final And Beyond
”France is expected to play against Spain in the semi-final on Tuesday at 8pm in the evening. The winner will have to face the second semi-final winner of the match between England and the Netherlands.
Fofana’s Opinion
France’s midfielder, Youssouf Fofana, also responded to criticisms of his team’s play, stating that reaching the semi-finals is a success.
‘Personally, I don’t care at all. ’ In the end, we’re in the semi-finals,’ responded Fofana. He underlined the role of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann in the team by saying, “The level of Mbappe and Griezmann, we have to realize that that’s enough to be a semi-finalist. ”
Talking about the goal, he said, “Scoring is the goal of football, but when you see our cries of joy, it’s more a moment of relief. ”
