Sunday’s World Cup final was touted as ‘Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe’, ‘Master vs Apprentice’, ‘GOAT vs Heir Apparent’.
And as 120 of the most dramatic minutes in recent history concluded, Argentina vs France had emphatically lived up to the billing. But as the penalty shootout got underway, it quickly became clear a new leading man was ready to take his place centre stage.
Emiliano Martinez had stoked the fires before kick-off at the Lusail Stadium and already held a reputation for his antics and mind-games in previous penalty competitions. This was to be no different, with Martinez saving from Kingsley Coman before watching Aurelien Tchouameni’s effort fire wide.
