Lisandro Martinez was forced out of Argentina's World Cup final against Spain after suffering an apparent injury late in the first half.
The defender went down near Argentina's goal and remained on the field while teammates attended to him. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez then signaled to the sideline that a substitution was required.
Otamendi enters before halftime
Nicolas Otamendi came on shortly afterward to replace Martinez. The change required Argentina to reorganize its defense before the interval in the tournament's deciding match.
Otamendi had already featured throughout Argentina's run to the final. He started every match except the final group-stage game and scored in the Round of 32 victory over Cabo Verde on July 3.
That tournament experience gave Argentina a familiar option when Martinez could not continue, but the injury still forced an unplanned change in the center of the defense.
Final remains scoreless at the break
The opening half ended without a goal. The teams went into halftime tied 0-0 after Martinez's departure became the main personnel change of the first 45 minutes.
The initial report described the problem only as an apparent injury. No further diagnosis or timetable was included at halftime.