In the case of the defeat of the Premier League teams, no one thought that Aston Villa would become the only remaining seedling in the Premier League in European competition. At the boo-filled away stadium, Villa were on the verge of elimination, but in the end they stubbornly dragged it out to the penalty shoot-out. And with the play of goalkeeper Martinez, he successfully advanced to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. It can be said that it has saved a little face for the Premier League team.
With this, the Argentine international has completed a new personal achievement. He has won his last five penalty shoot-outs for his team. It has to be said that this is a very remarkable achievement and a testament to Martinez's excellent saving ability and his big heart in the penalty shoot-out. In addition to saving two penalties against Lille in this game to help the team win the game. Flipping forward four more times, Martinez is still the one who has the last laugh.
The 2022 World Cup final was the highlight of Martinez's career. The epic final against France was full of twists and turns. In the end, the two sides drew 3:3 in extra time and entered a brutal penalty shootout. And it was in the most prestigious game in football that Martinez stepped up. He first saved a penalty from French striker Coman in the second round, and then managed to mess up Real Madrid's Tchouameni in a psychological game. and finally deflected the third penalty wide. In the end, Argentina managed to win the game, and it is still a classic that many fans talk about today.
And going back to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, Argentina vs. the Netherlands. The two sides were also very close and dragged into a penalty shoot-out. It was another solo show for Martinez, who saved a penalty from Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk in the first round of the shoot-out. It can be said that he almost single-handedly changed the tide of the game, and then he denied the Dutch team penalty kicks in quick succession to win with the team. It can be said that in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Martinez's performance in the penalty shootout is unique.
In addition, in the 2021 Copa America semi-final against Colombia, Martine also stepped up. The team was in a headwind in the penalty shoot-out when De Paul missed a penalty opportunity. But fortunately, Martinez denied the Colombian penalty three times in a row, which can be said to have directly broken down the opponent's psychological defense. In the end, the Argentine team advanced to the final without danger and won the final Copa America. Earlier, in the 2020 England Community Shield final, Martinez, who was still playing for Arsenal at the time, stepped up in a penalty shootout.
In addition to saving the opponent's penalty, he also suppressed Liverpool's stars on a psychological level. In the end, Arsenal defeated Liverpool 1:1 in regular time and 5:4 on penalties to win the only cup trophy in those years. He saved all 5 penalty shootouts in a row and led the team to victory. It is no exaggeration to say that Martinez is the best at saving penalties among the active goalkeepers, and even one of them is not to be added. Perhaps the goalkeepers of the same period, Manuel Neuer and Courtois were better than Martinez in goal-line technology. But when it comes to penalty shoot-outs, Martinez is the toughest goalkeeper on the planet.
Because in addition to his superb ability to pounce, his psychological warfare is also very oppressive. He easily sees the subtle changes in the hearts of the opposing players and makes use of them. Once a penalty taker falls into Martinez's psychological warfare trap, it is only a matter of time before he misses a penalty. And for Martinez, he has an even more important game this summer, and that is the Copa America. With his current form, there is a lot of hope that the team will win the title again. Because regardless of regular time, as long as it drags into the penalty shoot-out, Martinez is the guarantee of the team's victory. What do you think about this?