Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté, a pivotal story – Liberation

Solid against Australia on Tuesday, the two centre-backs, aged 23 and 24, are however inexperienced in the French squad. Their destinies have been linked since adolescence and then their side-by-side adventure in Germany, in Leipzig. Will he renew against Denmark on Saturday when Raphaël Varane returns from injury?

Dayot Upamecano arrived on tiptoe. The Blues had just turned (4-1) without forcing the Australians and the defender, to his chagrin, was one of three tricolor players designated to come and enlighten the journalists in a corridor of the Al-Janoub stadium after the game. The native of Evreux (Eure) has a thing for him: when he looks at his interlocutor, he gives the impression of adjusting his feet. Struggling during the match, Benjamin Pavard walked past him looking like he didn’t do anything wrong – an old trick a player masters over time. Adrien Rabiot, had traveled this very particular blend home of reflection (he takes his time when a question arises) and innocence, a nectar on the scale of tricolor media services.

And Upamecano landed there for two short minutes. Both for him and for us. He’ll come out of his shell twice. The first to talk about Lucas Hernandez’s injury, the seriousness of which left no doubts to direct witnesses: “When I