France D William Saliba departs with injury, replaced by Maxence Lacroix

France defender William Saliba departed in the first half of Tuesday's World Cup semifinal against Spain at Arlington, Texas, with an undisclosed injury.

Saliba sat down near midfield in the 28th minute while taking possession of the ball and was unable to continue. The Arsenal player has struggled with back issues for the past three years.

Saliba was replaced by Maxence Lacroix in the 30th minute.

The injury came shortly after Spain took a 1-0 lead on a goal from the penalty spot by Mikel Oyarzabal. The penalty was awarded when France defender Lucas Digne committed a foul on Spain forward Lamine Yamal.

Spain added a goal in the 58th minute, scored by Pedro Porro, and went on to win 2-0.

Spain advanced to Sunday's World Cup final at East Rutherford, N.J., to face the winner of Wednesday's semifinal match between Argentina and England.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 3:22 PM.