"Something positive was going to happen" - Scaloni claims Argentina squad had 'blind confidence' in star even after Lionel Messi's penalty miss
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has claimed that the team had 'blind confidence' in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez even after Lionel Messi's penalty miss in the shootout. La Albiceleste made it to the semi-finals of Copa America with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory against Ecuador on Thursday, July 4.
It was far from a convincing performance from the world champions, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Ecuador before Lionel Messi missed his penalty in the ensuing shootout.
However, Marinez once again came up with a decisive showing and showed why he is arguably the best keeper in terms of saving penalties. Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Gonzalo Montiel, and Nicolas Otamendi scored from the spot for Argentina while Martinez saved two Ecuadorian penalties.
After the game, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni claimed his side had full trust in Martinez even after Lionel Messi's miss. Scaloni said, as quoted by All About Argentina on X:
“In penalties, the team has blind confidence in their goalkeeper, and for us, that is fundamental. Even with Leo missing, the team knew that something positive was going to happen."
Emiliano Martinez has been exceptional for Argentina since making his debut for his country in 2021. He played a pivotal role in helping the South American giants clinch the Copa America in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Martinez's record in saving penalties is quite extraordinary, having conceded just 12 times in 24 attempts. The Aston Villa star has also won all four penalty shootouts while playing for Argentina.
Former Argentina striker names three players who could be leaders of the country after Lionel Messi
Former Argentine striker Sergio Aguero has backed the trio of Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Enzo Fernandez to become the leaders of La Albiceleste. Lionel Messi has led the three-time world champions for a long time but they will soon have to seek new leaders.
Messi is currently 37 and will hang up his boots soon, and Aguero believes the aforementioned trio are ready to take the responsibility of leading the side.
The former Manchester City striker said in an interview with Stake.com (via Daily Mail):
"In my opinion, our next leaders will be Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Enzo Fernandez."
Aguero also named Emiliano Martinez to play a pivotal role for Argentina in the years to come, adding:
"'Some say Emiliano Martinez, but the goalkeeper's roles are different, they have a different type of leadership. But I think that towards the future, those are the players."
Alvarez, Mac Allister, and Fernandez are all key players for Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, respectively.