Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League after losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s side were absolutely battered in the first leg in France, but they still managed to come away with a 1-0 win.
On Tuesday night, Liverpool started the game brilliantly and should’ve scored a goal or two early on. But, Ousmane Dembele ended up giving the visitors the lead, which levelled the tie.
Ibrahima Konate, who has mostly had a great season, was at fault for PSG’s goal, and his nation’s media have not been too kind to him after his error.
French media react to Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate’s performance vs PSG
Konate has developed into one of the best defenders in the Premier League since his £36 million move to Liverpool in 2021 (Sky Sports).
The Frenchman has formed a fantastic partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk, and the two of them have played a big part in Liverpool’s dominance in the Premier League this season.
However, against PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Konate was not at his best.
Miscommunication with Alisson Becker forced a mistake out of the France international, and that allowed Dembele to tap the ball into the back of the net.
That led to the game going into extra-time and then to penalties, which PSG won quite comfortably.
After the game, a few French media outlets delivered their verdicts on Konate’s performance against the Parisians at Anfield.
Foot Mercato gave him a 4/10 rating and wrote: “Constantly endangered behind his back by Ousmane Dembele, the France international lived an encounter, and more generally a difficult double confrontation.
“Not comfortable with the ball at his feet, he made a gross mistake on his intervention, offering the goal of 1-0 to Dembele.
“Offensively, he didn’t come close to catching up with a long shot slammed by Donnarumma, but never showed his physical domination on a set piece, despite an abysmal size differential with the man marking him… Joao Neves.”
So Foot sarcastically named Konate as the MVP of the game and wrote: “Thanks to him for not getting sent off during the first leg, Ousmane Dembele would not have scored without him on the return.”
Arne Slot gives Ibrahima Konate injury update
Konate was one of two Liverpool players who had to be withdrawn due to an injury scare on Tuesday night.
The Frenchman left the pitch in the 111th minute of the game with what looked like a problem. Liverpool fans were worried that their centre-half could be injured again.
However, Slot eased those fears after the game by claiming that Konate had to come off because of fatigue and not due to an injury.
“I have to ask but for me Ibou was more that he was tired than it was an injury,” Slot said after the game, as per Liverpool’s official website.
As for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also limped off the pitch, Slot claimed that he is likely to miss the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
