William Saliba earned glowing reviews from the French media after helping France book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay.Les Bleus arrived in Philadelphia as strong favourites, but Paraguay made Didier Deschamps’ side work much harder than many expected. In the end, a Kylian Mbappe penalty proved enough to separate the teams, with Saliba producing another assured display at the heart of France’s defence.From an Arsenal perspective, it was another reminder of why the 25-year-old is widely regarded as one of the world’s elite centre-backs. While France struggled to find their usual attacking rhythm, Saliba remained composed throughout and repeatedly snuffed out Paraguay’s threat whenever they looked capable of breaking forward.William Saliba earns glowing French media praiseFrench outlet L’Equipe was particularly impressed, awarding the Arsenal defender a 7/10 rating – the highest of any France player on the night.They wrote: “After a fine defensive performance, William Saliba was France’s best player in their 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.”The statistics back up those assessments. Saliba completed 95% of his passes, won four of his six aerial duels, made 10 clearances and registered five recoveries across the 90 minutes.Those numbers only tell part of the story, however. Paraguay asked plenty of questions of France, particularly with their physical approach and willingness to attack whenever opportunities arose, and Saliba was forced to stay switched on throughout. Rather than enjoying a routine evening, the Arsenal defender had to earn every bit of his clean sheet with a series of timely interventions and calm decision-making under pressure. I personally think he was a joy to watch last night.Morocco provide France’s next World Cup challengeFrance’s reward is a quarter-final meeting with Morocco on July 9, which promises to be another demanding test. Morocco have already shown throughout the tournament how dangerous they can be on the counter-attack, and France will almost certainly need to produce a better overall performance if they are to progress again.Saliba has now started every World Cup match apart from the group-stage meeting with Norway, where he was rested, and on current form there is little doubt he will once again be one of the first names on Didier Deschamps’ teamsheet.Did you watch France against Paraguay, Gooners? Do you agree that Saliba was Les Bleus’ standout performer, or was there another player who impressed you more? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below._____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENTSo here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through this link…More Stories / Latest NewsFrench media hail William Saliba after Arsenal star shines in France’s World Cup win5 July 2026, 12:00World Cup Predictions League: Last 32 Results and Last 16 Draw5 July 2026, 10:3012 Arsenal stars still chasing World Cup glory after France reach quarter-finals5 July 2026, 9:00The post French media hail William Saliba after Arsenal star shines in France’s World Cup win appeared first on Just Arsenal News.