Argentina goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, warned his teammates that they were guilty of employing cowardly tactics during their World Cup final loss to Spain.
Argentina’s journey to a second consecutive final had been marked by an indomitable spirit and an aggressive, high-energy style of play, with captain Lionel Messi serving as the team’s catalyst.
However, Lionel Scaloni’s squad appeared as a mere shadow of their true selves on Sunday evening, being easily outplayed by a Spanish team.
The signs of trouble were evident in the first half, where Argentina failed to record a single shot on Unai Simon’s goal.
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The situation did not improve after halftime, as the Spanish goalkeeper remained unchallenged, even after Martinez explicitly informed his teammates that their tactics were playing into the hands of the Spanish side.
“Come on, with heart, boys, hey,” the Aston Villa goalkeeper urged during a speech at halftime.
“Playing with heart means pushing forward, not retreating; it means advancing. Forward, forward, forward, forward.
“Cowards play backwards, let’s move forward. Three passes and we find Leo, let me see us build it from the back too.”
Their captain, Messi, too, attempted to rally his troops adding, “Come on, boys, character, everyone, character. We’ve always had it, aren’t we going to show it now?
“Come on, hey. Character to play, let’s play our football, let’s play, come on.”
Unfortunately, for Argentina those words fell on deaf ears as their campaign ended in ignominy and disgrace.
