Aston Villa ace Emi Martinez reveals the big step he took after ‘suffering a lot’ at World Cup

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has explained the big step he took to bounce back after Argentina suffered a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their Group C opener in Qatar. The loss, which was one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, gave the whole team a setback but Martinez particularly struggled in the aftermath.

Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead in that game within just 10 minutes, converting from the penalty spot, and the three disallowed goals followed. Messi thought he had added a second, and then striker Lautaro Martinez had the ball in the net twice, but all three were ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee.

Things looked strongly in Argentina’s favour going into the break, but Saudi Arabia were clinical and resilient in the second half. As huge underdogs, they had just three shots throughout the entire fixture, with two on target. They scored two goals from these, as Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari netted to give their side a surprise lead.

After Saudi Arabia held on for all three points, the whole Argentina squad was visibly devastated but Martinez was hit even harder. “I suffered a lot [after the loss],” Martinez told the media post-match. “I talked with a psychologist because they shot me twice and I conceded both. I have 45 million Argentines behind me and I should have given more.”

Getting professional help was the best thing Martinez could have done, and rather amazingly after his mental battle, he helped Argentina to a clean sheet and a victory in their next outing against Mexico. The Villa man commanded the penalty area well and had a fairly quiet game thanks to his fine work between the sticks.

Having claimed the all-important three points, Argentina now sit in second place in Group C, one point behind the leader and next opponent, Poland. Lionel Scaloni’s team are above Saudi Arabia on goal difference before their final group stage fixture - a game in which a win would be enough to seal qualification for the knockout stages.