FIFA World Cup 2022:Tricks used by Emiliano Martinez during penalty shootout explained in this viral thread

Argentina beat France in the World Cup final on Sunday on penalties after the game ended 3-3 at the end of extra time. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez put in another incredible shift during the shootout as he managed to keep two French players at bay. Now, a Twitter thread by a netizen has revealed the tactics that Martinez employed during the shootout

The user noted that Martinez commanded the penalty shootout from the start when he stood alone in the penalty area while his compatriot and France captain Hugo Lloris went for the toss.

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Lloris entering the warzone second meant that Martinez had established boundaries about the arena being his. Afterwards, Martinez gently started accessing referee Szymon Marciniak to the extent he could push his luck with him.

When Kylian Mbappe stepped up to take the kick, Martinez first went to him, shook his hands and gave an aura of friendliness. At the very next moment, he stepped back and pointed to the referee to keep the ball in its designated spot.

The ball was in the right spot from the beginning but Martinez was imposing himself in the situation. The referee bent down, took a look and gave a thumbs-up to the goalie.

Read more: Argentina's Emiliano Martinez explains reason behind his lewd gesture with FIFA Golden Glove award

Though Mbappe converted the penalty, Martinez received the message that he could nudge the referee a little further.

When Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman came to the spot, Martinez upped the ante a little and again pestered the referee to check the ball, only to receive a not-so-positive response from the Polish official. The trick works this time and Coman misses the penalty.

Apart from trying to rattle the penalty takers, Martinez is street-smart enough to shield his teammates from the opposition goalkeeper. He picks the ball after French penalties and hands it to his player so that they can cooly take the kick.

Martinez is not shy when it comes to using his verbal prowess to intimidate the opposition either. He senses that Kolo Muani can be thrown off so he begins mouthing, “I’ve watched you!”.

Martinez's bag of tricks is full of such antics which he has used throughout his career. It is perhaps the reason he has been able to have such a remarkable record when it comes to penalty shootouts. If Argentina are currently going gaga over the World Cup win, they owe a significant debt for it to Martinez and his crazy yet calculated tricks.

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