Lautaro Martinez was on the bench as he missed out on starting for Argentina in their FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Spain on Sunday, July 19 (local time). The Inter Milan striker scored the winning goal for La Albiceleste in the semifinal against England after coming in as a late substitute in the 81st minute.
Meanwhile, Martinez missed out on starting once again as Lionel Scaloni went with Julian Alvarez yet again. The 28-year-old started for the defending champions in the first four matches but has been on the bench for the remainder of the games in the tournament due to a tactical decision. Martinez has scored three goals this World Cup, including the late header against England that saw them into their second successive final.ย
Scaloni spoke on dropping Martinez
Argentina manager Scaloni spoke on dropping Martinez from the Starting XI after his team’s win over Egypt in the round of 16. “It’s not easy to be in Lautaroโs situation,” Lionel Scaloni said after the victory over Egypt. “He lost his place in the team; Julian came in and was decisive. I have to thank him for the way he’s behaving.
“For me, leaving out a No. 9 who is the top scorer in Italy is no simple decision. Of course he is not happy, but he keeps pulling in the same direction, bites his tongue, trains at full intensity and forces you to think again. When he comes on, he shows he is ready. For me, that is one of the best things,” the head coach added.
Argentina ring inย three changes, Spain unchanged
Argentina made three changes in total for the 2026 final. Scaloni decided to bench winger Giuliano Simeone, midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Nahuel Molina, all of whom started in the 2-1 semifinal win over the Three Lions. He decided to bring in Rodrigo De Paul, Nico Gonzalez and Gonzalo Montiel for the final in New Jersey.ย
Nine of the 11 players who are starting for Argentina also began the final four years ago against France. Molina and Angel Di Maria are the only absentees from that epic win in Qatar. Molina is on the bench, while Di Maria retired from international football in 2024. Talking about Spain, Luis de la Fuente went unchanged with the team that defeated France 2-0 in their semifinal.
Argentina Starting XI – Emiliano Martinez, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez
Spain Starting XI – Unai Simon, Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal
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