A little less than three months after the World Cup final, Ibrahima Konaté looks back on this meeting between France and Argentina, which the Blues did not approach properly.
“It’s a World Cup final. People are playing with something else. All the other matches, people play with their qualities, their strengths. World Cup final is something else. It’s indescribable, people don’t only play with their qualities.. The words are signed Ibrahima Konaté. The Liverpool defender, who discovered the Blues a few months ago, confided in the subject of the World Cup in a long interview with Youtubeur Colinterview.
“They were hitting us and we were going to complain to the referee, but are we crazy or what?! »@IbrahimaKonate_ spoke to me like never before about the World Cup final lost against Argentina
Itw complete: https://t.co/hDQQFA71Cj pic.twitter.com/pwL6sEnaQ6
— Colinterview (@Colinterview) March 10, 2023
The French rock, with strong words, looks back on this final, and on what the Blues missed to be world champions. “The difference between the Argentines and us is that it’s a World Cup final. And I would say that in this situation all shots are allowed, explains Konaté, in remarks transcribed by RMC. Because the Argentines, that’s what they did. When they arrived on duels, OK they would go to the duel with you, but they would put a little blow to you afterwards. And you complain to the referee. But no ! But are we crazy or what? It’s a World Cup final, he hits you, you get up! You act like you don’t feel anything. Because the Argentines are provocative. And as soon as they see that they have gained the upper hand over you, they gain confidence. And that’s what we gave them from the start. On shots, we look at the referee. No no no ! ‘You hit me, I didn’t feel anything’. In the next duel, you give him a blow even if you break your leg. It doesn’t matter, it’s a World Cup final. I can’t tell you more. From the start, we should have died for this match. That’s the mistake we made, all together. »
“It was too hard”
Choice n ° 3 of Didier Deschamps in central hinge, Konaté came into play in the 113th minute. Most of the meeting, he was just a witness undergoing the situation. “The first 75 minutes, I was on the bench, I turned (the head) to the right and to the left, I looked at the other players, they almost had tears in their eyes, he says, in a passage relayed by Eleven-World. Me, I was in a state of mind where it was too hard. It’s like when you see things in the world and you’re helpless, you can’t do anything. I was in that same mindset. I saw actions, I said to myself: ‘I would have liked to be there too much’. You can’t do anything, you’re on the bench. »
In Konaté’s words, it should not be seen as a criticism of the tricolor holders, who would not have been at the level at the start of the meeting, but rather a sincere observation, for the good of the collective. The former Leipzig player is more the type to defend his partners, in particular Randal Kolo Muani, who did not know how to transform the match point at the very end of extra time. “Again, Randal Kolo Muani, no one can blame him. If there is a person who is angry with him, I can fight with him”, assures the tricolor defender.
