French back‑line braces for Lamine Yamal as Dallas semi looms

In the hours before France’s departure for Dallas, Maxence Lacroix and Ibrahima Konaté spoke at the World Cup base camp on the outskirts of Boston, outlining how Les Bleus intend to contain Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal in the Tuesday semi‑final. Their comments came after Spain’s win over Belgium, a result that underscored the Spanish threat. The two French defenders were asked specifically about neutralising the young forward during the upcoming clash, and both stressed that the French plan goes beyond targeting a single player. Lacroix replied, “I wouldn’t say that we’re scared. We’re aware of our qualities. We know that Spain also has a great squad, and they’ve had a very good tournament,” adding that the French focus remains on winning. He continued, “How do you defend against him? Well! He’s a very good player, he’s shown a few times in this World Cup that he can hurt you, but we have quality in defence. We haven’t conceded many goals and chances. I think we’ll do the job.”

Mbappé trains in Boston while France rests Saliba, Upamecano

Konaté, who featured in the nine‑goal thriller when France lost to Spain last year, stressed that the aim is not to focus on one player. “Honestly, that’s not what we’re thinking about. Spain are an exceptional team with a lot of quality, but the aim isn’t to focus on one player in particular. It’s not just Lamine, it’s the whole team,” he said. Les Bleus will fly out to Texas on Sunday afternoon, having held two training sessions over the weekend after being granted a day off, as they manage player workloads ahead of the semi‑final.

Mbappé’s redemption mirrors Messi as France eyes World Cup semi‑final

Starting centre‑backs William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano were absent from Saturday’s session, with the coaching staff looking after minor injury concerns, highlighting the depth of the French defensive options. Reporting from France’s base camp in Waltham, Massachusetts, Raphaël Jucobin captured the defenders’ confidence ahead of the crucial match, underscoring the contrast between Spain’s recent momentum and France’s prepared defensive resolve as the Dallas showdown approaches.