Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez was in action at Copa America, where he earned high praise for his heroics against Chile.
Away from Villa Park, a number of Unai Emery’s top talents are away on international duty playing at both Euro 2024 and Copa America.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez was in action this week in Argentina’s second group game, a fixture that ended in a 1-0 victory for the World Champions against Chile.
The Villa shot-stopper took centre stage for his performance, as he ensured his nation earned three points to extend their lead in Group A.
What Argentine media said about Emi Martinez after Argentina’s win against Chile
In what was a well-contested affair, the majority of Martinez’s night was quiet however, the goalkeeper was forced into action in the second half.
Chile tested the defence of the World Champions when the scoreline was at 0-0, to which the Villa shot-stopper came to the rescue and ensured a clean sheet was maintained.
The 31-year-old’s three saves of the match proved to be match-winning, as Lautaro Martinez scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute, seeing Argentine media laud the goalkeeper’s impact.
TyC Sports handed the Villa man a 7/10 match rating, applauding him as he ‘had to come to the rescue’ when Chile threatened.
The same publication celebrated the Argentine in a separate article, dubbing him the ‘key piece’ of Argentina’s victory.
Elsewhere, Bolavip branded Martinez’s performance as ‘fabulous’, handing him an impressive 8/10 match rating.
La Pagina Millonaria called the Villa hero a ‘big team goalkeeper’, highlighting his two match-defining saves, similar to laseleccionargentina.com’s praise who said, ‘If they call him, he will answer. Two clear fleeting arrivals from Chile in the second half’.
It was a heroic night for Martinez on the international stage, something the Villa shot-stopper has become accustomed to since his unforgettable impact in Qatar in 2022.
Aston Villa will hope to have Martinez back for pre-season
If Argentina were to reach the Copa America final, set to be played on 15th July, it would seem likely that Villa would be without the goalkeeper for at least the start of their pre-season schedule.
Emery’s side begins pre-season on July 17th against Walsall before leaving the country to play in both Slovakia and the United States.
There is still a sense of uncertainty regarding Martinez’s stance on the upcoming Olympics, where he has made his desire to play for Argentina clear, despite Villa blocking their players from competing.
The goalkeeper’s full focus will be on Copa America, the only time holding the answer as to when he may return to B6 ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
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