'He was beaten': French national media deliver worrying Ibrahima Konate verdict after 'oversight' vs Israel
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Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate started once again for France as they played out a 0-0 draw against Israel in the UEFA Nations League.
He has been in fine form under Arne Slot this season and has featured regularly for his country in recent months, with Didier Deschamps really growing into the ideal of slotting him in at the heart of the backline.
It wasn’t an eventful game of football at the Stade de France, but Konate was involved in one of the biggest talking points of the game and could’ve easily cost his team a goal.
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate endures lucky let-off for France
Starting alongside former RB Leipzig teammate Dayot Upamecano at the back, Konate defended admirably for most parts of the game but was caught out by Raz Shlomo in the first half.
A brilliant free-kick routine from Israel saw Shlomo beat Konate to a pass, although he didn’t cover himself with too much glory with his finish and he missed from close range.
Describing the incident as an ‘oversight’ on his part, RMC Sport gave Konate a rating of 5.5/10, saying: “A small oversight that could have cost the Blues dearly.
“In the 36th minute, he was beaten behind his back by Raz Shlomo, who fortunately missed his shot at close range after a beautiful Israeli combination on a free kick. Serious on the very rare Israeli incursions the rest of the match.”
Eurosport rated him 5/10, claiming that his role in the passage of play with Shlomo could have cost France the game. However, they added that the Liverpool defender was relatively untroubled in the second half.
“Strong and vigilant, he cut trajectories at the start of the match by showing a lot of authority.
“But he forgot Schlomo behind him on the only hot situation for Israel (37th). The consequences could have been serious. He then managed a second period without incident.”
GFFN, too, mentioned the set-piece incident but were a bit more brutal with their rating, giving Konate a 4/10 for his performance against Israel.
They wrote: “Wasn't called into action often but he was the one that lost Shlomo in a set-piece situation in what was Israel's best chance of the game.”
Konate’s stats vs Israel
Martin Keown believes Konate has been better than Virgil van Dijk this season, with the pair forming a fantastic partnership at the heart of the Liverpool backline under Slot.
However, it wasn’t his best night for his country, but the interesting thing is that his underlying numbers from the game actually make for impressive reading.
- 85 touches
- 69/75 passes completed (92% pass accuracy)
- 6/6 duels won
- 3 tackles
- 2 interceptions
- 0 times dribbled past
Granted, Konate made a mistake that nearly cost his team, but there’s a case to be made that the national media were overly critical of him after his performance against Israel.
