Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez have fiercely criticised Gary Neville after Argentina's dramatic 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semi-final. The match, played in Atlanta, saw England take the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, but Argentina fought back with Enzo Fernandez equalising before Lautaro Martinez scored the winner deep into injury time.
Neville's Comments Spark Backlash
Last week, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville labelled Romero and Martinez as 'the best worst centre-halves in the world' following Argentina's 3-2 win over Egypt in the last-16. Speaking on ITV's World Cup coverage, Neville said: 'They give goals away constantly, but they don't care about giving goals away because they'll score goals at the other end. And they have massive personalities and they keep going.'
Neville added: 'At that point in the game [when Egypt scored their second goal] you think Argentina are holding on for dear life. They're fighting for their lives and Romero is part of that comeback. Why is he there? You always ask the question. Why is Martinez scoring in the last game? They don't give in and they fight, and they fight, and they fight.'
Argentina Duo Respond
After the semi-final win, Romero and Martinez gave a joint interview where they expressed their displeasure with Neville's remarks. Martinez told DSports Argentina: 'We're used to people always talking about us, it seems they just love talking about us. We don't really respond, we just let our play on the pitch do the talking, always with respect.'
Romero was more direct, saying: 'The only thing I hope is that when I retire, I don't act like such an idiot. Hopefully, down the line, I won't go around criticising players or anyone else. After all, you go out there trying to do your best for your team and your national team, sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn't, it's not the end of the world.'
He added: 'We're making history here, it's huge for us. We feel the shirt like no one else, and we're really happy to be making history.'
What's Next
Argentina will now face Spain in the World Cup final at 8pm BST on Sunday. The win over England sets up a highly anticipated clash between two of the tournament's strongest sides.
