Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez made his return to action for Argentina in a friendly with Ecuador.
Lisandro Martinez had a successful return to action for Manchester United late in the season, helping to shut out Erling Haaland in the FA Cup Final.
He has since returned to action with Argentina, playing his first game for his country since March 2023.
Martinez was part of Argentina’s squads in September and this past March, but did not play for his country due to injuries.
Now fully fit, he was named in the starting line-up for Argentina’s friendly with Ecuador last night, as the two countries prepare for the Copa America.
Alejandro Garnacho was an unused substitute in the 1-0 win, with Angel di Maria scoring the winner.
Argentina press react to Lisandro Martinez performance
Lisandro Martinez started alongside Tottenham’s Cristian Romero in central defence, and the pair look like they could be Argentina’s first choice partnership.
Martinez’s display helped Argentina to a clean sheet, and the reaction in his homeland to his performance was positive.
Ole graded his performance as a 7/10, noting how ‘confident’ he was in his individual battles
TyC Sports gave him a 6/10, writing: “Correct and neat game by Lisandro.”
Clarin wrote: “Until 75 minutes he rounded off an almost perfect match, taking into account his little activity in the club during the season. He had two mistakes.”
Lisandro Martinez game by numbers
Lisandro Martinez’s passing in the performance was near immaculate. He completed 85 of 86 passes attempted.
He had 92 touches in total, blocking one shot, and making two clearances, winning two of two duels contested.
Argentina managed to restrict Ecuador to just five shots at goal, with no shots on target at all.
Martinez came close to scoring himself too, drawing a smart save from Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez.
Perhaps the biggest positive of all was that Martinez played all 90 minutes, the first time he has done so since returning from his most recent injury.
