Before Sunday’s incredible World Cup final between Argentina and France, all the talk was about Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, but at the end of the match there was another name on everyone’s lips and that was Emiliano Martinez.
After 120 minutes of thrilling, high-stakes, and emotionally draining action, the two teams were tied 3-3 to decide who would lift football’s greatest honor. It went to a penalty shootout.
While Argentina’s players calmly converted all four of their penalties, Martinez stood up as a wall to break France’s heart.
France’s Mbappe had scored two penalties during the game so it was no surprise that he converted the first penalty for France in the shootout, although Martinez was not far from saving it.
He stopped Kingsley Coman’s goal to put pressure on France.
Because of this, when Orléans Chauminy went for his turn, the pressure was already on him, and under the weight of it, he hit the ball off the post to keep it away from Martinez.
There’s a word for Martinez’s leap that can’t be described here, but it had the intended effect, and Khomeini, 22, suffered the consequences.
The save moved Argentina closer to their first World Cup trophy since 1986.
Although France’s Randall Kolo Moani converted France’s next penalty, Argentina substitute Gonzalo Montel’s penalty started the South Americans’ celebrations.
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BBC Sports pundits on the football field also agreed that Martinez’s moves played a huge role in the win.
Former England striker Alan Shearer said: ‘They were trying to wind them up, they were kicking the ball, they were talking to the players, (and so) they were putting as much pressure on them as possible. were.’
The game would not have gone to a shootout had it not been for a brilliant save by Martinez in the final seconds of extra time.
Liverpool defender Ibrahim Konate pushed the ball forward and Moani raced through to score, only for Martinez to step forward and narrowly prevent him from converting.
It was one of many great saves by Martinez in Qatar and earned him the tournament’s ‘Golden Glove Award’.
He had to go through a period of patience to start his career. Martinez spent eight years at Arsenal, was loaned six times by other teams, and made just 11 Premier League appearances.
“I have no words for it,” Martinez said after Sunday’s final. I was calm during the shootout and everything went our way. Everything I dreamed of has been achieved.
