Why is compactness necessary for the Minimax Theorem?

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According to Von Neumann's minimax theorem, I have

$$\max_{x\in X} \min_{y\in Y}f(x,y)=\min_{y\in Y} \max_{x\in X} f(x,y)$$

for some compact sets $X$ and $Y$ and a convex (in $y$), concave (in $x$) function $f(x,y)$.

Why is the compactness needed for this to hold?

Whatever function I choose from $X$ and $Y$, $f(x,y)$ will be concave in $x$ and convex in $y$, which suggests a saddle point, that implies minimax theorem.