William Saliba's Injury Woes at 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The centre-back, the defensive pillar of Mikel Arteta’s side, had to be withdrawn on the half-hour and replaced by Maxence Lacroix with Les Bleus already chasing the game. Spain led 1-0 at the break, Mikel Oyarzabal having struck from the penalty spot after Lucas Digne’s rash challenge on Lamine Yamal.

Digne misjudged a high ball, swung through the teenager instead of clearing it, and Spain did not hesitate. Oyarzabal stepped up and buried the spot-kick, tilting the night in favour of the European champions.

Then came the moment that will have sent a jolt through north London.

Saliba, in possession and seemingly under little pressure, suddenly went down, grimacing and reaching for his lower back. He stayed there, face set, before medical staff rushed on. Didier Deschamps watched closely, arms folded, as his most assured defender tried to stretch and shake it off.

He couldn’t. The decision arrived quickly: Saliba was not fit to continue for the full 90 minutes.

On the touchline, Lacroix – already on the radar of Chelsea – had been warming up with urgency as soon as the problem became clear. Moments later, the Crystal Palace defender was on, Saliba’s night over far earlier than France or Arsenal would have liked.

This was not a bolt from the blue. Saliba had already admitted he has been managing a back issue all summer, playing through discomfort to stay on the pitch for both club and country. Speaking before France’s group game against Iraq, the 25-year-old laid bare the reality of his season.

“I’ve had some minor niggles for several months,” he told reporters. “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.”

He has done exactly that: grinding through pain for Arsenal’s title challenge, then rolling straight into another high-intensity tournament. Up to this point in the World Cup, there had been no major flare-up, no obvious sign that the back problem was about to bite.

Texas changed that.

For Deschamps, it was a significant in-game headache. For Arsenal, watching on from thousands of miles away, it was something else entirely: a stark reminder of just how fine the line is between heroic durability and breaking point.

The scans and updates will follow. Until then, every frame of Saliba’s grimace in Arlington will be replayed in the minds of those at London Colney.