French national media look to have cleared up whether Ibrahima Konate really picked up an injury vs Croatia
03/21/2025 04:00 AM
France were defeated in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie with Croatia on Thusday night.
Didier Deschamps’ side were beaten 2-0 in Croatia and have left themselves with a lot of work to do in France in the return leg on Sunday. The result all hinged on a disastrous first half in which the French conceded both of their goals.
That prompted the Deschamps to make changes, in the hope that they would help turn the game around for his team.
Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate was one of them, and French media were not too happy with the centre-back’s performance. Some outlets reported that the defender picked up an injury but that may have been cleared up.
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Ibrahima Konate’s ‘nightmare’ performance for France
Konate has been a key player for Liverpool this season but the French star has had a tough few days with the Reds having been eliminated from the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final.
That seemed to carry over to the national team as French media have stated that PSG-linked Konate had a ‘nightmare’ first half in Croatia.
The centre-back gave a penalty that went on to be missed, while the 25-year-old seemed all over the place with the rest of the France backline for the two goals they conceded in the first half.
Konate’s performance was described by L’Equipe in a very negative manner with the French outlet stating: “Eliminated from the Champions League and beaten in the League Cup final with Liverpool, Konaté continued his nightmare by being at fault on the penalty and failing to cover Perisic in the center for the opening goal.
“Deschamps took him out at the break, but he could also have done without Koundé or Saliba,” the French publication continued.
Konate was subbed off at halftime by Deschamps for Dayot Upamecano and from a Liverpool point of view there were concerns of an injury.
French media play down Ibrahima Konate injury
The description of Konate’s performance has hinted that the French defender did not have an injury, which seemed to stem from the France National Team’s X account stating that the 25-year-old picked up a knock against Croatia.
There has been doubt over the defender’s future at Anfield in recent days as Konate continues to be linked with Real Madrid, although sources in Spain are playing it down.
The 25-year-old will continue to be an important player for the Merseyside club throughout the remainder of the campaign and although the Premier League looks to be wrapped up, the Reds will not want the French defender out of action.
