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

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17 July 2026

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni was braced for the introduction of one of

Arsenal

attackers

Bukayo Saka

and

Noni Madueke

, or both on Wednesday night,

according to The Independent

While they are key players under Mikel Arteta for the Emirates Stadium club, the Gunners duo watched on from the bench as

England

lost 2-1 to the South Americans in the semi-final of the

World Cup

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

forwards are known for.

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

They were relieved seeing Tuchel plan to introduce a series of defensive-minded players and quickly adjusted their own game plan.

Argentina stars had been reminded of the qualities of the

duo at half-time, and they were surprised that Tuchel switched to a back-five after taking the lead.

They were stunned and shocked 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 in 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 Anthony Gordon, Reece James and Declan Rice, respectively, 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, but Mikel Arteta would prefer if they got rested instead following a huge injury to William Saliba during the week.

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