Ibrahima Konate has carried his fine form for Liverpool onto the international scene, producing one vital moment as France defeated Belgium 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League tonight.
The 25-year-old was an unused squad member for Les Bleus at Euro 2024 but he’s since become a key player for Didier Deschamps’ side, and he justified his coach’s faith with a fine display against the Diables Rouges.
During the match in Brussels, Lois Openda looked set to score for the hosts after he was played through by Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku.
However, Konate watched the striker all the way and got back to thwart him with a perfectly timed tackle, putting just about enough pressure on the RB Leipzig marksman to put him off without pushing him over and giving away a penalty.
Konate impressive again for France
With France ultimately winning by the odd goal despite the 76th-minute dismissal of Aurelien Tchouameni, the Liverpool centre-back’s intervention turned out to be a crucial one.
The 25-year-old surprisingly didn’t win any duels against Belgium tonight, but he more than made up for that with no fewer than six clearances, two blocks and one interception. He was also smart in possession, completing 48 of his 55 passes (87% accuracy, via Sofascore).
Reds fans may well have a wry smile on their faces not just at Konate’s performance, but also at the sight of William Saliba recklessly giving away a penalty for crashing into Openda midway through the first half, only for Youri Tielemans to miss the subsequent spot kick.
It wasn’t the finest moment of the Arsenal man’s career, to say the least, but Arne Slot will have been thrilled to witness his French centre-back putting in a fine display for Les Bleus.
Let’s hope Konate can maintain that impressive form for Liverpool as they enter a pivotal few weeks of their season!
You can view Konate’s block on Openda below, taken from FS2’s match coverage and shared via @VidsFCbrnKonate on X:
— . (@VidsFCbrnKonate) October 14, 2024
