Manchester United have heaped praise on Lisandro Martinez following his dominant performance for Argentina during their 2-0 win over Mexico on Saturday night.
After being left on the bench for the first hour of Argentina's shock 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia, Martinez was brought into his national side's starting line-up for their vital clash against Mexico. Lionel Scaloni's side knew that a defeat to Mexico would have seen them crash out at the group phase after just two games.
It was a moment of trademark magic from Lionel Messi that put those fears to bed, as he scored a sumptuous goal in the 64th minute. The Paris Saint-Germain star took a touch to control a pass with his left foot before drilling the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards out past a helpless Guillermo Ochoa in goal for Mexico.
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Enzo Fernandez then sealed the points for his country as he curled in a superb second with just three minutes to play.
In a team full of jaw-dropping attacking talent, it can often be hard to stand out elsewhere on the pitch - yet that is exactly what Martinez managed to do.
The United defender was dominant in everything he did, as he showed Argentina exactly why he should have started against Saudi Arabia with a faultless 90-minute display. As fans at Old Trafford have become accustomed to seeing, the 24-year-old exhibited his unadulterated passion, as he committed himself to every challenge and tackle across the turf.
After the full-time whistle blew, it did not take long for supporters to acknowledge just how impressive Martinez's performance was, with United fans taking to social media to heap praise on the central defender, while Martinez's United and Argentina teammate Alejandro Garnacho labelled him "the best" in an Instagram comment.
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