Danny Murphy says ‘it drives me mad’ when goalkeepers fall to the floor hugging the ball, which Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez did during Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia at the Qatar World Cup on Saturday.
With less than ten minutes left on the clock, Villa’s number one tried to slow the game down by going to ground when catching the ball following a cross and Murphy stated he is ‘not sure’ why Martinez would do that, as he told Match of the Day.
As Villa fans would have seen on a weekly basis, their vice-captain isn’t shy to get on the opposition’s nerves with his actions out on the pitch.
Whether he’s dancing in front of the Manchester United fans after saving a stoppage-time penalty at Old Trafford, or frustrating home fans by having his dinner and then taking a goal kick.
The former Arsenal man sure knows how to get under the skin of others.
Well, it seems as though he has done just that with former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy, who also reacted to Martinez’s last-minute save to deny Garang Kuol an equalising goal for Australia against the South American giants at the World Cup.
“I am not sure why he is doing that,” said Murphy. “You see keepers do this a lot. It drives me mad.”
On Martinez’s stoppage-time save: “Would you believe it? Martinez gets out quickly to smother him, doesn’t he? Kuol does all he can. He hits the target and it was a strong left arm.”
UNDERRATED MARTINEZ
There has been a lot of disrespect thrown towards Martinez and it’s simply undeserved because he has stepped up when it has mattered most.
During his first season in Villa colours, he secured 15 clean sheets, before going on to make his debut for Argentina and helping the South American giants win Copa America.
Martinez’s performance, especially during his side’s semi-final shootout win against Colombia was a standout, as he delivered and performed when it mattered most.
That was proven against Australia with his last-minute save and he will continue to prove it as Argentina continue to push forward in Qatar.
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