Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina always seem to find a way. Even when the odds seem stacked against them, they always have one more card to play. In the semi-final against England, with the game slipping away from them and Argentina chasing the game, La Scaloneta’s old guard once again came to the rescue, inspiring one of the greatest victories in the country’s tournament history to seal their place in the final.
Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul, Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel were all named in the starting XI that got the better of Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final at the Maracana, the first trophy of Scaloni’s reign as Argentina coach. Today, the coach once again turned to those familiar names to spark Argentina’s heroic comeback against England.
“I’d like to give a special mention to all the players who haven’t been playing, or who’ve had limited game time so far. The players who entered the fray made all the difference. At the end of the day, that’s what life, and especially football, is all about: giving your absolute all until the very end. That’s exactly what these players did today because it’s who they are and what they’re all about,” the Argentina coach said after they sealed their place in the final.
Otamendi, De Paul and Montiel were introduced in the 72nd minute. Otamendi brought fresh legs to the defence, with both centre-backs already on bookings. Montiel and De Paul changed the game down the right flank, giving Argentina greater attacking impetus as they grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and began to find their rhythm in the final third.
Lautaro Martinez, who came on with just eight minutes of normal time left on the clock, powered a header home from a Messi cross to score the winner before becoming Argentina’s first line of defence as England threw the kitchen sink at it and started launching high balls to their strikers in search of an equaliser.
The group’s togetherness, determination and mentality in the face of adversity are the defining traits of a team that has stayed true to a project that began eight years ago.
“Leaving Rodrigo (De Paul) on the bench wasn’t an easy decision because he’s given us so much, and he’s someone I really identify with. When I was a player, I was just like him out on the pitch. But the coaching staff and I always make the decisions we feel the game demands, even if we don’t always get it right. Paredes was on the bench at the last World Cup and has been part of this journey from the start.
"Today, Otamendi started on the bench. We do it because we feel it’s the right call for the team, and the important thing is that they understand why. Then the game gets away from you a bit and you have to come up with a different plan. That’s when they’re the first to come on and make an impact,” Scaloni said of the substitutes who turned the tide in Argentina’s favour.
Otamendi made his Argentina debut with Diego Maradona at the helm in May 2009; De Paul has become one of the defining figures of the Scaloni era since making his debut against Iraq in a friendly in October 2018; Lautaro Martinez was the first striker Scaloni’s coaching staff put their faith in; and Gonzalo Montiel, whose penalty sealed the title at Qatar 2022, has been the first-choice right-back since early 2019. All four, pillars of this Argentina side both now and for years to come, showed their importance by making a decisive impact despite only playing a handful of minutes.
Sources: FIFA Official
