'Cannot fear anyone': France look ahead to semi-final against 'exceptional' Spain

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] ‌have conceded only one goal in the entire tournament to reach the last four ‌in search of a second World Cup title.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a], winners in ‌2018 and finalists four years ago, know Spain very well, having lost ‌to them in the Euro 2024 last four and also ‌in last year's Nations League semi-finals.[/p][p][b]"You cannot fear anyone," [/b]France centre-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/konate-ibrahima/QJlbDbQe/"]Konate[/a] told a press conference. [b]"We will now prepare as best as possible and hope the ‌result in the end will favour us."[/b][/p][p][b]"Spain are ⁠an exceptional team, with a ‌lot of individual quality, so we won't be focusing on just one ​player even though Lamine ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lamine-yamal/lAt3vEub/"]Yamal[/a]) is a great player," [/b]said Konate, who had a brief substitute appearance in the win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]​Norway[/a] in their final group match.[/p][image alt="France are slightly favoured to win Tuesday's semifinal against Spain" id="2faf4484-76bb-4f94-a01a-9c49ed8e99fc" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="01bfb79e-e3ab-46ff-80ee-92a9c4a528a4" original-width="3840" original-height="2160" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/upamecano-dayot/OMhLhEJB/"]Dayot Upamecano[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saliba-william/EgIM3sB7/"]William Saliba[/a] have been France's starting centre-backs, as the tournament favourites eye their fifth ⁠World Cup final.[/p][p]The French ​have reached four of the last seven World Cup finals. Should they take part in the July 19 showdown in New York, they will sustain the comparison with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]West Germany[/a], arguably the ultimate tournament nation ‌with four finals between 1974 and 1990.[/p][p]But Konate said the French were not wasting any thoughts on what might be.[/p][p][b]"We are staying humble, we won't fall into that trap," [/b]he said.[/p][p]They will need to find a way to break down this World Cup's most effective backline, as well as contain as much as possible Lamine's runs down the wings.[/p][embed guid="2fb95065-afbc-4aa6-8672-f0b4cd9e3b4e" url="https://x.com/equipedefrance/status/2076223751478243379?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I would not say 'fear' but we are conscious of their quality,"[/b] said fellow France centre-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lacroix-maxence/j5bGWFU7/"]Maxence Lacroix[/a]. [b]"They have won all ‌their matches (except a 0-0 draw against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/MocyWdm7/"]Cape Verde[/a] in the group), ​so we respect them. They have high quality players but ‌we want to win."[/b][/p][p]Top of the list is Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who has earned praise from his coach for keeping opponents' defenders busy as teammate use the spaces created.[/p][p][b]"We will defend well, the best," [/b]Lacroix said. [b]"Lamine is a very good player and he has ⁠shown he can hurt teams ⁠at this World Cup. We ‌will do the work that is needed."[/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]