France vs. Spain: 'We don't have to fear anyone' — Ibrahima Konate and Les Bleus hit back at Lamine Yamal's taunts

The 2026 World Cup semi-final between France and Spain on Tuesday has already generated needle before a ball has been kicked in Dallas, with France's players moving swiftly to counter a pointed provocation from Lamine Yamal.

Following Spain's quarter-final victory over Belgium, Yamal had been characteristically direct about the psychological landscape ahead of the clash. 'We beat France in our last two encounters. If France has to fear anyone, it is us. We will see what happens, but we are not afraid.'

The comments drew a firm and immediate response from the French camp.

'We don't have to fall into traps at this stage'

Ibrahima Konate — who recently completed a free transfer to Real Madrid from Liverpool — was first to respond, insisting the French squad has not been paying close attention to what their opponents are saying.

'To be honest, we have not heard what is being said. We do not have to fear anyone. We have to remain humble and not fall into traps, especially at this stage of the competition,' he said. 'He can say whatever he wants. We will try to prepare in the best possible way, and at the end of the game, we will see who comes out on top.'

Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace offered a similarly measured assessment. 'I am not going to say we are afraid. We are aware of our qualities and we know that Spain also has a very good squad and is having a great tournament. We play every game to win and our objective is, of course, to win. We are going to focus on that.'

France's objective is no less than a third consecutive World Cup final, a milestone that Didier Deschamps' side would achieve with a positive result on Tuesday.

Recent history gives Spain a psychological edge

France and Spain arrived at this semi-final as two of the pre-tournament favourites, and both have backed that status up with convincing campaigns. Yet there is a strand of recent history that sits uncomfortably for Les Bleus.

During a period when France were steamrolling most international opponents, Spain found a consistent way to stop them.

In the Nations League, La Roja won 5-4 in one of Luis de la Fuente's most dominant performances since taking charge.

At Euro 2024, France opened the scoring, only to be pegged back and then overtaken, goals from Yamal and Dani Olmo completed a 2-1 victory, with Randal Kolo Muani's goal the only French response. Spain went on to win the tournament by beating England in the final.

Whether that history carries weight in Dallas remains to be seen. Konate appears determined to make sure it does not.

The semi-final kicks off at 20:00 BST on Tuesday. The winner meets either England or Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Sunday 19 July.