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Argentina suffered a defensive setback in the first half of the FIFA World Cup final against Spain after centre-back Lisandro Martinez was forced off with an apparent thigh injury on Sunday (Local Time).
The Manchester United defender, who has been a mainstay in Lionel Scaloni's defence throughout the tournament, signalled towards his thigh before covering his face with his shirt as he left the field in the 44th minute. Veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi, 38, replaced him, according to ESPN. Martinez entered the final as Argentina's leader in clearances with 34 and ranked second in defensive interventions with 63 during the tournament. Before his substitution, he was level with Gonzalo Montiel for the highest number of defensive interventions in the final, with five. Otamendi, who featured in Argentina's victorious 2022 World Cup final against France, was called upon to shore up the defence, according to ESPN. The match remained goalless at halftime at MetLife Stadium. During the break, Scaloni made another change, introducing Leandro Paredes in place of Nico Gonzalez, who was making his first start of the tournament. Earlier, Lionel Messi also became the oldest outfield player to start a FIFA World Cup final at 39 years and 25 days, adding another record to his illustrious resume. Defending champions Argentina secured a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over England in the semifinal, overturning a first-half deficit with Enzo Fernandez scoring the equaliser before Lautaro Martinez netted the stoppage-time winner to send the defending champions into the title clash against Spain. Spain, on the other hand, secured a place in the FIFA World Cup final for the first time since their 2010 triumph after defeating France 2-0 with a composed performance. Lamine Yamal played a key role in the win, winning a penalty after dispossessing Lucas Digne, which Mikel Oyarzabal converted in the 22nd minute to give Spain the lead. Pedro Porro doubled Spain's advantage after the break following a fine move with Dani Olmo, while France struggled to create clear chances. Yamal had a goal ruled out for offside, and despite late efforts from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, Spain's defence held firm to secure their sixth clean sheet in seven tournament matches. (ANI)
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