His teammates describe him as an “animal” and tonight he made his legend bigger in Houston. Emiliano Martínez not only saved Argentina’s national team in the penalty shootout against Ecuador, but he also helped the team to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa América.
Dibu Martínez was visibly moved after stopping shots from Ángel Mena and Alan Minda from the penalty spot, almost forced by the miss from captain Lionel Messi. “I told the lads that I wasn’t ready to go home,” explained the former Independiente player, who is no longer allowed to distract the rivals in the pre-match.
He added: “I’m filled with people, I had my family nearby, these are special moments. This group deserved to continue, it’s exciting.”
The numbers with the Aston Villa goalkeeper are impressive: out of four penalty shootouts, the Argentine National Team won all of them, which indicates a 100 percent effectiveness. They have thrown 18 balls at him and nine of them did not end in a goal (eight saves and one miss).
In the end, all the hugs went to Dibu Martínez -who made key saves after a tough start to the match- as soon as Nicolás Otamendi scored the final 4-2. Of course, it was then his turn to pamper a distraught Messi after his shot hit the crossbar.
“I work for this. I shoot 500 times a day in training. I always keep myself in good shape and try to be at my best for this team. The country deserves it, the people who spend their money to come and see us. I miss the voice of emotion, also of shouting. I am proud, I want to continue growing as a goalkeeper and as a person,” he concluded.
Conmebol’s post on the figure of Dibu Martínez in penalties
The individual performances of the Argentine National Team, such as that of Emiliano Martínez in the penalty shootout, helped to bring about a tough match against Ecuador at the NRG Stadium. “He did it again,” reads the Conmebol post, referring to the importance of the Dibu at specific moments.
Fate also played in favour of the Aston Villa player, when Enner Valencia’s shot from the 12 yards hit the post and he dived to the other post in the 61st minute.
2024-07-05 03:37:00
#emotion #Dibu #Martínez #penalties #ArgentinaEcuador
