Arsenal centre-back William Saliba delivered a solid performance for France during their 2-0 World Cup quarter-final win over Morocco.
Les Bleus went into the game as clear favourites to beat the Atlas Lions, but they could not break the deadlock before the half-time interval.
Kylian Mbappe had the chance to do so from the penalty spot but fluffed his effort.
The 2022 World Cup finalists eventually broke the deadlock with a fine finish from Mbappe. Ousmane Dembele quickly grabbed a second to end Morocco’s hopes of a potential comeback.
Shortly after the game, popular French outlets published their player ratings.
For Saliba, Ouest France said that he set the tone from the start by covering Achraf Hakimi’s runs. He made one poor clearance, but was lauded for another dominant performance.
They wrote: “He set the tone right from the start against Hakimi, covering his forward runs.
“A poor clearance could have proved costly (11th minute), but ultimately, it was the only blemish on a performance where he was once again dominant (6/10).”
Meanwhile, Le Figaro Sport highlighted that Saliba had an authoritative display for Didier Deschamps’ side, barring one poor turnover early in the match.
The outlet mentioned: “Aside from one dangerous turnover early in the match, he dealt with the situations that came his way authoritatively (6.5/10).”
Saliba has been nursing a back injury since the second half of last season at Arsenal, but he has continued to stand out with his performances for club and country.
The 25-year-old completed 95 percent of his passes against Morocco yesterday. He also made five clearances and two recoveries. Barring his early blemish, he looked very comfortable.
Saliba is expected to continue in the heart of the defence alongside Dayot Upamecano when France take on either Spain or Belgium in the World Cup semi-final.
The centre-back will be due a three-week break when his World Cup campaign concludes, but there are claims that Arsenal could be without Saliba for much longer.
Saliba has been nursing a back issue for some time and may require surgery. This is probably a reason why manager Mikel Arteta is pushing to sign Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
Stats from Sofascore