Lisandro Martinez leads Argentina to victory in Copa America with another clean sheet, as reported by Alex Browne.
Argentina and Lisandro Martinez defeated a spirited Colombia 1-0 in extra time to regain the Copa America title.
La Albiceleste is now the most successful team in tournament history, having won 16 championships.
A wonderful defence-splitting move in the 112th minute allowed Lautaro Martinez to rush through and finish with a brilliant one-on-one to give Argentina the title.
The Inter Milan striker was the tournament’s hero, scoring the most goals with five. Argentina can consider themselves fortunate, given Colombia had 19 shots to the champs’ 11 and only 44% possession.
The World Cup winners’ success has been built on their defence, as they have only conceded one goal in six games.
Lisandro Martinez of United was in the centre of this, and his national team did not concede once during the tournament while Martinez was on the pitch.
Martinez appeared in five games and was a defensive rock in all of them, firmly establishing himself as his country’s first choice centre defender.
The United number six played full 120 minutes and received a score of 7.2 on Sofascore.
Due to Colombia’s pressure, he had a busy night defending his country’s goal, with six clearances and two blocked shots.
He also had three interceptions and won one of his four ground duels.
The stocky defender also proved difficult to beat in the air, winning two of his three aerial skirmishes.
Despite having less time with the ball than he had in previous tournaments, he was meticulous in his passing.
Martinez had 43 touches and completed 27 of his 31 passes for an 87% success rate.
Argentina can now celebrate their third major championship in a row, which will be especially crucial for United’s defensive stalwart after an injury-plagued season.
Nonetheless, an FA Cup winner’s medal alongside a Copa America trophy is a nice way to cap off a difficult season for the defender.
Furthermore, while Martinez was a member of the World Cup winning team, he was primarily a squad player. This victory will undoubtedly mean a lot because it was his first for his country as a legitimate first choice option.
One United player that played substantially less was Alejandro Garnacho, who started game three of the group stage but did not play again in the competition.
At only 19 years old, he will benefit greatly from being a member of the squad and absorbing the experience of serial champions, and he hopes to make a greater influence at the World Cup in two years.
Both Argentines will play an important role in United’s season next year, but first they may enjoy a well-deserved vacation and celebrate being American champions once more.
