France found themselves behind for the first time at this World Cup when Spain took the lead in Tuesday's semifinal.
Mikel Oyarzabal smashed home a nerveless penalty after Lucas Digne clumsily fouled Lamine Yamal in Dallas.
It was also the first goal France has conceded during the knockout stages of the competition.
Soon after, they suffered arguably a bigger blow when one of their key defensive pillars left the game through injury.
LIVE: France vs. Spain in the World Cup semifinal
What happened to William Saliba?
Shortly before the half hour at AT&T Stadium, William Saliba took a seat on the turf unchallenged.
French football journalist Julien Laurens tweeted to say he could lip-read Saliba saying "my back is gone, my back is gone".
The Arsenal centre-back has been nursing a back injury throughout the tournament and sat out France's training session on Saturday.
In the 30th minute, he walked from the field with France's team physio and was replaced by Maxime Lacroix.
You could just read on William Saliba’s lips: « my back is gone, my back is gone » as he stopped playing. Nightmare start for France.
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) July 14, 2026
William Saliba injury update
The extent of Saliba's injury is not yet known, although the fact that he was already playing hurt means there will be fears of a significant setback.
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Williams Saliba next match
If France recovers to beat Spain, they will face the winner of the semifinal between England and Argentina.
The World Cup final is on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium. The quick turnaround means Saliba is likely to be a major doubt.
If France loses to Spain and contests the third-place match on Saturday, it is likely Deschamps would heavily rotate his line-up and first-choice players such as Saliba would not start.
Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, August 16 and start their 2026/27 Premier League season against Coventry City on Friday, August 21.