Arsenal star William Saliba came in for plenty of praise as he helped France bounce back in their second-leg meeting with Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.
Les Bleus fell to defeat in the first leg, losing 2-0 away from home and with plenty of work to turn things around.
Saliba was criticised by the French media for his part in shipping two goals, with the Arsenal star not looking like his usual self.
He and the rest of his side bounced back at the second time of asking though, welcoming Croatia to the Stade de France.
Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
France needed to overturn a two-goal deficit to give themselves a chance of reaching the final four of the Nations League.
While it was deadlocked at half-time, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele managed to bring the aggregate score level.
The clash went to extra time and penalties, a shootout that Les Bleus won and earned themselves a place in the semi-finals of the Nations League.
Following the victory, William Saliba came in for plenty of praise from the French media.
Eurosport gave the defender a 7/10, claiming: “He’s much more cautious in his choice of passes. But he was tough in the duel. The Gunners’ rock started by blocking a shot that was going well (21st) and then showed his physicality.
“He came out wide to intervene in front of Budimir (23rd, 34th), showed his teeth in front of Perisic (30th) and put his head to push away a hot ball (58th). It was shortly after a burst in midfield that the Blues equalized.”
GFFN gave the star a 6/10 for his display, while SO Foot gave him a huge 8.5/10, stating: “A cinder block wall.”
It means Saliba is back in the sort of form that has made him a rock at the back for Arsenal this season.
Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty ImagesWilliam Saliba statistics in France win over Croatia
With France picking up a huge victory over the two legs, Saliba is seemingly back to his very best for the national side.
Sofascore gave him a rating of 7.8 for the match – not quite as much as Ibrahima Konate (8.2) and Jules Kounde (8.0) but more than fellow defender Theo Hernandez (7.2).
Over 120 minutes played, Saliba won 50% of his ground duels, with two clearances, one blocked shot and one tackle completed.
His passing was where the majority of the time was spent, with a 95% pass completion rate – 119 successful from 125 attempted.
While it was frustrating for Saliba to play all 120 minutes, there is now a decent rest time before the next set of Arsenal fixtures.