Emiliano Martinez is crucial to Argentina's World Cup hopes

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had astir thing to bash past Saturday arsenic his broadside appeared to beryllium coasting to a comfy win over Australia successful the circular of 16 astatine the World Cup. But, befitting the code of play and the flirtation with calamity that person marked this Argentina campaign, each of a abrupt things became complicated.

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Australia took bosom aft Martinez was beaten by a cruel deflection disconnected Enzo Fernandez, and the Socceroos pressed for an equaliser. In the 96th minute, arsenic the Argentina fans whistled for the crippled to end, the keeper had to marque his archetypal and lone superior prevention of the evening. Garang Kuol turned defender Lisandro Martinez astatine the acold station and was unsocial with the keeper. It was a immense moment. His decision-making not blunted by an hr and a fractional of inactivity, Emiliano Martinez advanced, got his angles close and came up with a steadfast artifact with his near arm.

The representation of the prevention -- and of his defenders falling connected him successful solemnisation -- volition unrecorded agelong successful the memory. Or astatine slightest until Friday's quarterfinal against Netherlands.

The connection is clear. If Argentina and Lionel Messi are to triumph this World Cup, past Emiliano Martinez has a large relation to play; astatine agelong last, Argentina person a top-class goalkeeper. The South American federation prides itself connected its goalkeeping tradition, but it had go a occupation position. Their all-time most-capped keeper is Sergio Romero, who spent a decennary warming the seat astatine a fig of European clubs, and who much precocious has been a substitute backmost location astatine Boca Juniors.

When Lionel Scaloni took implicit arsenic manager aft the 2018 World Cup, Romero was 1 of an astonishing 7 keepers fixed a accidental successful his archetypal 8 games. For the record, successful bid of appearance, they were Geronimo Rulli, Franco Armani, Romero, Agustin Marchesin, Paulo Gazzaniga, Esteban Andrada and Juan Musso.

The database has 1 striking absentee -- Emiliano Martinez. Back then, though, Martinez was easy forgotten. He had moved to Arsenal arsenic an 18-year-old successful 2010 and it was not an casual determination to understand. Martinez had played successful the erstwhile year's Under-17 World Cup, wherever helium showed committedness arsenic a elephantine changeable stopper, but his deficiency of agility connected crosses was a changeless problem. He was, then, a agelong mode from being acceptable for the Premier League. Over the years, helium was loaned retired to Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Getafe successful Spain and yet Reading, each the clip learning his trade and moving hard connected his carnal development.

An wounded to archetypal prime Bernd Leno gave him a accidental with Arsenal successful 2020, and helium took it, doing truthful good that the imaginable of much clip connected the seat was nary longer appealing. First-team shot was vital, and truthful helium moved connected to Aston Villa to beryllium a No. 1.

By this stage, helium had a afloat decennary successful English shot down him, but helium remained a arrogant Argentine, waiting for the telephone from the nationalist team. It came for the World Cup qualifiers successful June 2021. Martinez came into the broadside with plentifulness of the Argentine shot nationalist not knowing a batch astir him. But wrong a period and a half, helium had transformed himself into a legend.

As 2021 drew to a close, erstwhile Argentina international-turned-wise-pundit Diego Latorre wrote that Martinez "deserves to beryllium named the antheral of the twelvemonth successful Argentine football. From the archetypal infinitesimal helium said 'I americium the goalkeeper,' and everyone got the message. He's been transmitting a information and a assurance that we haven't seen for a agelong time, and he's go 1 of the captious leaders that a dressing country needs."

Argentina person managed to bounce backmost truthful good from that shocking 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia to unfastened this World Cup, and the resilience of the radical tin beryllium attributed to winning the Copa America past twelvemonth -- the team's archetypal elder rubric since 1993. It was a cardinal moment.

The opus the fans are chanting done this tourney makes notation to each the years they cried implicit the nonaccomplishment of silverware. Beating Brazil successful Rio de Janeiro past July has removed a hefty value from the squad -- and that Copa triumph would not person happened without the goalkeeper. Especially important was the semifinal against Colombia, which went to a punishment shootout. Martinez was the hero, some for redeeming 3 Colombian spot kicks and for the mode that helium utilized trash speech to distract his adversaries.

The fans loved it. It fitted the representation that Argentines person of large goalkeepers -- they request to beryllium large personalities arsenic well. And conscionable a fewer weeks aft being a alien to galore among Argentina's shot public, they already felt that they knew him intimately.

They could instrumentality him to their hearts and physique their hopes of glory successful Qatar connected the antiaircraft instauration that helium supplies. Martinez whitethorn not request the trash speech successful Qatar. But his coagulated decision-making, speedy reflexes and hard won agility are each surely going to beryllium important if Messi is to assistance the trophy connected Dec. 18.