Only Aurelién Tchouaméni knows for certain whether Emiliano Martínez got into his head. With France on the back foot after the Argentina goalkeeper had saved from Kingsley Coman, it was the 22-year-old midfielder’s turn in the shootout to determine the winners of the World Cup.
Alone with his thoughts, Tchouaméni made the long walk from the centre-circle while Martínez stood in wait, ball in hand as he whipped the crowd behind the goal into a frenzy. Rather than hand the ball to Tchouaméni, he tossed it to one side, forcing the youngster into an unwanted detour as he reached the penalty spot. As if to say: “I’m calling the shots here but you have to take one.”
