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Twitter users have heaped praise on Ibrahima Konate following France's semi-final victory over Morocco at the FIFA World Cup.
The 23-year-old came into the starting XI at center-back to replace Dayot Upamecano, who struggled during their quarter-final win over England. Konate partnered the ever-reliable Raphael Varane in central defense as the French defenders once again looked solid to keep the African side at bay.
Having already beaten Portugal and Spain on their route to the final four, Morocco appeared to be a stiff test for the world champions. But nerves were settled when Didier Deschamps' side capatilized on a defensive error, as Theo Hernandez acrobatically finished inside five minutes.
Morocco piled on the pressure in front of a rabbid fanbase, but Les Bleus sealed the win in the second half when substitute Randal Kolo Muani tapped into an empty net. The victory means the defending champions reach their fourth FIFA World Cup final in seven tournaments and could be the first team to retain their title since Brazil in 1962.
But while France's attack will grab all the headlines, fans were impressed by Konate's display at the back. The pacy defender has been an injury concern throughout the competition and made just his second start of the campaign.
After the 2-0 win, supporters took to Twitter to heap praise on the Liverpool defender:
Didier Drogba believes France have advantage ahead of FIFA World Cup final
Attention now turns to Sunday's final, where Argentina and France will both aim to win their third FIFA World Cup. The clash will almost certainly be billed as Kylian Mbappe vs Lionel Messi, but Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba believes experience will help Les Bleus over the line.
The pundit told BBC Sport:
"France do have the advantage of being in the final and winning it four years ago. You know how to handle the pressure, you've been there, but they have new players and it will be new for them. It might be the first time some of them have played against Lionel Messi as well. The pressure will be there.
"This France team are very, very competitive, especially with Didier Deschamps as their manager. They want to win it back to back."
Five of the team that started against Morocco also started in the final four years ago against Croatia. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is the only Argentine who will start that also played in the 2014 final, which they lost against Germany.
