Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez are set for another important test for Argentina, with Tuesday’s meeting against Egypt at Mercedes-Benz Stadium bringing Mohamed Salah into the picture. Romero’s message is simple: this team may not always play at its best, but it rarely folds.
That matters because the Argentina pairing at the centre of the defence is built on more than organisation. Romero and Martínez are not just teammates who now understand one another well; they have been connected since they were 18 years old, after meeting through youth football and even facing each other at Belgrano and Newell’s. That bond has carried into the senior side, where both defenders have become part of a back line trusted in difficult moments.
Romero and Martínez: a partnership built on trust
Their story has already included setbacks. Several months before the World Cup return, Romero missed time with a knee sprain and Martínez missed time with a torn ligament. Even so, Argentina have continued to lean on them, and their response to pressure has only strengthened the sense that the partnership is about resilience as much as defending.
Romero described that quality in straightforward terms. The team, he said, does not always play beautifully every time, but it has “mucho corazón” and “mucha entrega” when the game becomes hard. He added that this side “no se va a rendir” and insisted the next match would also be “durísimo”.
The Salah problem for Argentina
That is the key issue now. Egypt will offer a very different kind of challenge, and Salah gives them a threat that can punish even small lapses. For Argentina, the question is not whether Romero and Martínez can compete physically; it is whether they can keep their shape and concentration against a player who needs only one opening.
Romero’s other warning was just as pointed. He said the team’s resilience, the refusal to give up and the habit of fighting to the end, is what keeps them steady in knockout football. In his words, “En los mata-mata nunca hay que confiarse.”
Argentina have already shown that they can recover from difficult moments, including after the loss to Arabia Saudita, when Martínez, Romero and Nahuel Molina began the palo santo ritual in Qatar. That detail says a lot about the mindset around this squad: habits matter, belief matters, and so does staying connected when the pressure rises.
Against Egypt, that mentality will be tested again. Martinez, Argentina now face a match where the defensive partnership must be disciplined, brave and alert from the first whistle. If Romero and Lisandro Martínez handle Salah, Argentina will have another reminder that their back line is not just about talent. It is about trust under pressure.
