Speaking to the media after France beat Morocco to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup final, Jules Kounde hailed international teammate and former Barcelona superstar Antoine Griezmann for his performance in the semi-finals.
Griezmann, who made his loan move from Barcelona to Atletico Madrid permanent not very long ago, has been one of France’s standout performers at the World Cup, despite playing in a deeper role than he is used to.
The 31-year-old was named the MVP of the semi-final against Morocco last night and Kounde, who himself had a solid game at right-back, praised Griezmann, stating that he is the face of this France side.
“Antoine is a player who is unbalanced and today he fought hard. He is the face of the team and I am very happy for him,” Kounde said, as quoted by SPORT.
The Barcelona defender also lavished praise on Morocco, who made it very hard for France throughout the game despite losing some important players to injury before and during the game.
Morocco put us in a lot of trouble. They were a very physical team and knew how to manage the game,” he said. “I’m not surprised because this is a team that knows how to play. They found a way to hurt us and throw us off balance, but we were solid.”
“The quick goal made it easier for us. We were solid and made a huge effort. We are very happy to be in the final,” Kounde added.
Up next for France, as they look to successfully defend their World Cup trophy, is a contest against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who have bounced back brilliantly after losing their first match of the tournament.
And Kounde admitted that it will not be easy for Les Bleus on Sunday, saying: “We will talk about it starting tomorrow. They are a team that fights hard and difficult to beat.”