France Rocked by Major Injury Early in World Cup Semifinal vs. Spain
France suffered two setbacks in the opening half-hour of Tuesday's semifinal against Spain.
The pain of Mikel Oyarzabal's converted penalty was still fresh when William Saliba sunk to the turf in the 29th minute. France's first-choice center back received only fleeting medical treatment before trudging off the pitch in defeat.
Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix was swiftly summoned off the bench. While the towering 26-year-old is a capable Premier League defender-and a freshly crowned European champion (of the Conference League)-Saliba's withdrawal was a major blow for Didier Deschamps's side.
William Saliba's Injury Blow Has Been Coming
Saliba was an injury doubt before the tournament had even begun. The Arsenal star aggravated an existing back issue during the Champions League final, prompting reports that he could miss the tournament entirely.
Deschamps was quick to dismiss those claims but Saliba's entire summer has been dictated by managing this nagging issue.
"I've had some minor niggles for several months," Saliba revealed during the group stage. "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. I'm not at 100%, but there are plenty of players who aren't at 100% either. You can't make excuses."
Despite these ongoing issues, Saliba played every minute of consequence for France up until the semifinal, only sitting out the group stage finale with Norway once qualification had already been secured.
However, in the days leading up to the semifinal with Spain, Saliba missed a France training session. Intriguingly, his regular center back partner Dayot Upamecano was also absent for that preparation. Fortunately for Deschamps, the Bayern Munich man didn't appear to be playing with any impairment.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:57 PM.