Saliba Injured as France Faces Setback in World Cup Semi-Final

Arsenal’s worst World Cup fear flickered into life in Arlington, Texas, as William Saliba hobbled out of France’s semi-final against Spain clutching his lower back.

The centre-back, a pillar for both club and country over the past two seasons, went down on the half-hour while in possession, immediately reaching for the area that has troubled him for months. He tried to continue. He couldn’t. After a brief on-pitch assessment, the verdict was clear: his night was over long before the 90.

Maxence Lacroix, heavily linked with Chelsea, was sent to warm up at full tilt the moment Saliba hit the turf. A few minutes later the change was confirmed, the Crystal Palace defender stepping into a game already tilting away from Les Bleus.

France trailed 1-0 at the break, undone by a clumsy moment in their own box. Mikel Oyarzabal had put the European champions in front from the spot after Lucas Digne misread a high ball and swung through Lamine Yamal instead of clearing cleanly. Spain accepted the gift. France, already chasing the game, then watched one of their most reliable defenders disappear down the tunnel.

For Didier Deschamps, it was the last thing he needed. For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, it was the scenario they dreaded.

Saliba has not hidden the reality of his physical state this summer. The 25-year-old admitted before France’s group game against Iraq that he had been managing a back issue for several months, pushing through the pain to stay on the pitch during Arsenal’s Champions League and Premier League run-in.

“I’ve had some minor niggles for several months,” he told reporters on Saturday. “I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. But the coaching staff are handling it very well. The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth.”

That determination has carried him to the latter stages of the tournament. It may now come at a cost.

France’s medical staff had already been monitoring his workload. This time, after a quick assessment, they decided he could not continue. The decision will be welcomed by Arsenal’s doctors, but the sight of him leaving a World Cup semi-final early, again with a back complaint, will send a chill through north London.

Saliba’s previous back problems cast a long shadow over Arsenal’s season when they surfaced in the run-in two years ago. His absence then coincided with their title challenge unravelling. Since returning, he has been central to everything Arteta has built: a defender who sets the line, dictates the tempo, and rarely looks flustered.

That is why every minute he spends on the ground, hand to his back, feels like a moment of jeopardy for club and country alike.

For now, France must cope without him in one of the biggest games of their cycle, with Lacroix thrown into the fire and Spain already in control. Arsenal, watching from afar, will be far more interested in the scans and assessments that follow in the coming days.

Saliba chose to grit his teeth for the World Cup. The question now is how heavy the bill will be when he returns to London.