Saliba Injury Scare for France and Arsenal in World Cup Semi-Final

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

The centre-back, a pillar for both club and country, 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. Moments later, his night was over.

Maxence Lacroix, the highly rated defender on Chelsea’s radar, was sent on after a brisk warm-up, but the change only deepened the sense of unease around Les Bleus. They were already 1-0 down, undone by a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal after a rash challenge from Lucas Digne.

The Paris Saint-Germain left-back misjudged a high ball in the box, swung through instead of clearing cleanly, and caught Lamine Yamal. Oyarzabal did the rest from the spot, giving the European champions control by half-time.

For Didier Deschamps, the goal was a setback. Saliba’s injury felt like a turning point.

The defender had been open about the back issues he has been managing all summer. Before France’s group game against Iraq, the 25-year-old admitted he had been playing through “minor niggles for several months,” explaining he had pushed on through the Champions League and Premier League run-in, helped by careful management from the national team staff.

“I’ve been gritting my teeth,” he said, underlining the stakes with a simple truth: the World Cup comes around only once every four years.

In Arlington, that gamble appeared to catch up with him. After a brief on-pitch assessment and further checks, the decision was made: Saliba would not complete the 90 minutes. Crystal Palace’s Lacroix, thrown into the intensity of a World Cup semi-final, had to steady a back line already chasing the game.

For Arsenal, watching from afar, the sight of their defensive lynchpin hobbling off in a World Cup knockout tie will have sent a chill through pre-season plans. For France, the question is more immediate: can they navigate the biggest stage without the man who has quietly carried a back problem all the way to the last four?