Argentina:
I thought the early elbow on Nicolas Otamendi by Iheanacho was bad, but a more nerve-wracking moment came later on.
I’ll get to that momentarily, for now though, Nico played 90 minutes again in this game. That’s not really a big deal as Stones for England as he is suspended for the weekends game.
The biggest scare didn’t come on the pitch though. When the second half started there was no Sergio Aguero.
At first I thought it was a scheduled substitution, with the City striker having played 86 minutes in the previous game. Subsequent reporting though had football fans, and not just City fans nervous.
Next: International Blues: Matchday One
Initial reports were conflicting. Some reports stated Aguero had fainted, while another suggested he had collapsed. Now, clearly, one is more serious and comes with history with positive and tragic outcomes.
Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the field of a Premier League game a few seasons ago, and eventually recovered. Marc-Vivien Foe, who was on loan at City at the time, collapsed on the field while playing for Cameroon, and died.
With those reports, and the capitulation of the side in the second half, I was concerned as to how serious it actually was. Now, a few hours later, it seems Aguero felt light-headed, but never actually collapsed. His journey to the hospital was brief and precautionary.
Statements have since been released by the Argentinian FA and Manchester City. The National side saying the player was now back at the hotel with his team mates. Manchester City described it as a ‘dizzy spell’ and Aguero had been cleared by doctors to return to England.
It was the last International break when he broke his rib remember, so I am sure Pep will have been pacing when the news first started to filter through.