Spurs fans had to witness a horror show for defender Cristian Romero as his Argentina side conceded two goals in seven minutes at the start of the second half to fall 2-1 behind to Saudi Arabia in a shock turnaround.
Lionel Messi's penalty had given Argentina the lead in a crazy first half that saw three goals ruled out for offside but wayward attacking meant that the underdogs remained in the contest.
The unfancied Saudis then shocked Messi and co with two stunning goals inside 10 minutes. First Saleh Alshehri got the better of Romero before firing past Emi Martinez, then Salem Aldawsari curled in a brilliant second. The quickfire goals highlighted the decision of Lionel Scaloni to start Romero despite his injury issues at club level.
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Antonio Conte had to deal without his star centre-back for the final four games before the break but did see him play through the injury on multiple occasions in the Champions League. Instead, Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez was left on the bench despite coming into the tournament in good form.
Red Devils supporters were quick to mock Romero, with one fan tweeting, "How do you have Lisandro Martinez but play Christian Romero and Otamendi? I never do understand some coaching decisions."
Another commented: "Lisandro Martinez should have started this game right from the start, he’s better than Otamendi and Romero if we are being honest." It was a popular opinion, with another user agreeing, "Martinez is the best passer of the ball after Messi and the better defender than Otamendi and Romero."
Here's a collection of other reactions from Twitter:
@Mvelomontanaa: Benching Martinez for otamendi and Romero is a crime
@FrankBenjaminS5: How on earth will Argentina choose Romero or Otamendi over My Lisandro Martinez the Butcher at this time of football.
@Arthurthelast: u cannot bench Martinez and start Romero and otamendi it's just obvious
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