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France are set to face Morocco in the FIFA World Cup semi-final today (December 14) and fans are pleased to see Ibrahima Konate in the starting XI. The Liverpool defender is set to hold down the fort with Manchester United's Raphael Varane in central defense. Fans believe he will be vital to Les Blues' win.
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Konate featured in all three group games for France but remained on the bench for the knockout games. He will now start in the semi-final against Morocco due to Dayot Upamecano's injury.
French fans took to Twitter to hail Konate's impressive defensive abilities, and many are looking forward to a dominating performance from him. Here is a selection of tweets from the supporters, who are elated at Didier Deschamps' decision to include him:
We are hungry: Morocco manager Walid Regragui speaks on France clash ahead of FIFA World Cup semi-final
Morocco broke the proverbial glass ceiling when they became the first African and Arab nation to secure a seat in the semi-finals of the World Cup. However, manager Walid Regragui is not satisfied with their current position. He is looking to beat Les Bleus and take his side to the FIFA World Cup final against Argentina.
Speaking at a press conference in Qatar, Regragui revealed (via France24):
"If we are happy just to reach semi-final and some see that as enough, I don't agree. If you get to the semi-finals and you are not hungry then there is a problem."
However, he conceded that hunger may not be all they will require to beat France:
"The best team in the tournament, Brazil is already out. We are an ambitious team and we are hungry but I don't know if that will be enough."
Clarifying himself further, Regragui said:
"We want Africa to be top of the world, but we will have to be strong to progress. We are not the favourites but we are confident - maybe that makes me mad, crazy? A bit of crazy can be good. Everyone might think we are tired, they said that before the last games too, you can't be tired in a World Cup semi. Yes, we are still hungry."
Les Bleus are widely seen as strong contenders to win the FIFA World Cup, but they will need to be at their best against Morocco. The African side have been underdogs throughout much of the tournament but are unbeaten so far.
