France’s Not-So-Glorious Replay Brings Konate Woe…
Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate turned his French escapade into a classic case of “oops” as he picked up a shiny new injury souvenir against Croatia. Subbed off at half-time in a game France probably wish they’d forgotten, it seems the defender decided that handball was the new header. Croatia emerged victorious with a 2-0 win while Konate got an early trip to the bench – thanks to some defensive hiccups and an apparently magnetic penalty box.
The French boss, Didier Deschamps, had to pull a strategic rabbit out of his hat, replacing Konate with Dayot Upemecano after the former was caught practicing his dance moves instead of marking his man. Meanwhile, Croatia re-enacted their World Cup runner-up spirit, with Ivan Perisic feeding Ante Budimir a goal-world experience.
In other news of the injury blues, Liverpool fans can add Konate to their list of things giving them sleepless nights, right next to the mysterious art of defending corners. With Ryan Gravenberch’s early departure from the Netherlands’ squad, Klopp might be dusting off his boots soon. Now, the Reds’ medical team is busier than Santa’s elves before Christmas, already dealing with ouchies to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley, and more. Laughter might be the best medicine somewhere, but not at Anfield right now.
