William Saliba came off injured during the first half of France's World Cup semi-final against Spain shortly after Les Blues had gone 1-0 down through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty
France's defender #17 William Saliba leaves the pitch after an injury during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between France and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 14, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
France's defender #17 William Saliba leaves the pitch after an injury during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between France and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 14, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
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France were forced to make an early change while 1-0 down in their World Cup semi-final against Spain after William Saliba suffered an injury. Arsenal defender Saliba went down in the 29th minute and pointed to his back, where he's had problems in recent years.
The 25-year-old couldn't continue and was replaced by Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix. Saliba's injury saw France's night go from bad to worse.
Spain took the lead on 22 minutes after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal and gave away a penalty. Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake from the spot, despite Mike Maignan going the right way.
It marked the first time that France had gone behind at this World Cup. But Arsenal players picking up an injury in North America is nothing new.
Declan Rice has had a multitude of problems for England while team-mate Bukayo Saka's fitness remains a concern. Saliba will undergo tests and it remains to be seen whether he'll feature in France's next game, either the final or the third-place play-off.
It was reported ahead of the World Cup that the Frenchman was considering surgery to treat his back issue. Saliba notably missed Arsenal's last 15 games in the 2022-23 season with a back injury.
His latest setback could force the Gunners into the transfer market. Arsenal have recently been linked with West Ham centre-back Dinos Mavropanos, who they sold in a deal worth up to £5million in 2022.
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