Argentina players were stunned that Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke didn’t play against them | OneFootball

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni was braced for the introduction of Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke on Wednesday, according to the Independent.

They are key players for Arsenal, but watched from the bench as England lost 2-1 to the South Americans in the World Cup semi-final.

Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel started the game with Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon on the wings.

However, Argentina were specifically preparing themselves for the introduction of pace in the second half – something the Arsenal forwards are renowned for

They expected Saka or Madueke to come on by the second hydration break.

They were relieved when Tuchel introduced a series of defensive-minded players and quickly adjusted their own game plan.

Argentina stars had been reminded of the qualities of the Arsenal duo at half-time, and they were surprised that Tuchel switched to a back-five after taking the lead.

They were stunned that neither Saka nor Madueke played a single minute in the match.

England eventually made an attacking substitution in the 95th minute after going behind, bringing on Marcus Rashford for Djed Spence and Ivan Toney for John Stones.

Defensive trio Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly had been introduced earlier, replacing Gordon, Reece James and Declan Rice as Tuchel attempted to hold on to the 1-0 lead.

The German has been blamed by many for his tactical decisions, and Saka and Madueke would have fancied their chances of making a difference had they been introduced.

They could feature in the meaningless third-place play-off against France on Saturday.