Arsenal defender William Saliba delivered a solid defensive performance during France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16.
Les Bleus went into the game in Philadelphia yesterday as clear-cut favourites, and they were fancied to secure a convincing win over Paraguay.
However, their performance was far from convincing. A Kylian Mbappe penalty proved the difference as France progressed to the quarter-final.
Saliba played the full 90 minutes for Les Bleus, and shortly after the game, a couple of popular French outlets evaluated his overall showing.
L’Equipe handed the central defender the highest rating of 7/10 and said that he was France’s best player after a fine defensive performance.
They wrote: “After a fine defensive performance, William Saliba was France’s best player in their 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.”
Le Figaro Sport (page 3) gave him a 6/10 rating and acknowledged that he had a comfortable game in the heart of the defence alongside Aurelien Tchouameni.
The publication said: “The Gunner was no more troubled than his partner (Aurelien Tchouameni) in central defence.”
Saliba had a comfortable outing against Paraguay. He completed 95 percent of his passes and was dominant with four out of six aerial duels won.
The 25-year-old made 10 clearances in the game alongside five recoveries. He can expect a sterner challenge in the next round against Morocco.
Les Bleus beat the African heavyweights by a comfortable 2-0 scoreline during the 2022 World Cup semi-final, and should be favourites for the quarter-final on July 9.
However, they will need to step up their performance. Morocco are a far better counter-attacking side than Paraguay and could pose a greater scoring threat.
Saliba has started every game but one at the World Cup. He was given a breather against Norway and should be an assured starter in Massachusetts on Thursday.
Stats from Sofascore