Emiliano Martinez was one of Argentina's hero at Lusail Stadium on Sunday, as he produced brilliant saves to help his side lift the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Out of the many saves he made against France, the most crucial one came in the closing stage of the extra time, when he outstretched his leg to block substitute Randal Kolo Muani's attempt on target.
The save came in the 123rd minute, which then forced the match into penalty shootout. During the shootout, Martinez denied Kingsley Coman from the spot, and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni kicked it wide off the target.
Martinez, who had an exceptional outing in Qatar, was awarded the Golden Glove for his performance. Apart from his impressive display against France, Martinez was clinical even during the quarterfinal tie against Netherlands. That match too was decided after a penalty shootout and Martinez had then denied Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis from the spot.
‘However, what caught many eyes was Martinez' celebration after being handed the individual trophy, which was also labelled “lewd” by many on social media. Despite Qatari official standing close by, Martinez celebrated the moment by placing the giant gold hand close to groin and then walked off the platform. Here is the video:
{{/usCountry}}‘However, what caught many eyes was Martinez' celebration after being handed the individual trophy, which was also labelled “lewd” by many on social media. Despite Qatari official standing close by, Martinez celebrated the moment by placing the giant gold hand close to groin and then walked off the platform. Here is the video:
{{/usCountry}}Sharing his thoughts on the match, Martinez was quoted by mirror.co.uk as saying: "It's a moment that I always have to give to my teammates, they kicked me three times again and scored three goals, but then I did everything right."
In another video, which went viral on social media, Martinez was seen mocking French striker Kylian Mbappe during Argentina's wild dressing room celebration. In the video, Martinez can be seen halting the celebration, as the Argentine players were singing “A minute of silence”. He then chants "Mbappe, who is dead!" and the celebration continues after that.