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How Neal Maupay won Argentina the World Cup

Watching the aftermath of Argentina’s World Cup triumph, we couldn’t help but feel a deep, deep sense of injustice.
You see, while Emiliano Martinez was lauded as a national hero for getting his team to the final and then winning it for them, the man who put him on the path to glory got none of the credit.
While a certain former Manchester City striker was allowed to lift the trophy and join in the celebrations despite having absolutely nothing to do with his country becoming world champions, this poor soul was all but forgotten.
You’ve probably heard of the butterfly effect, the idea that one small action can cause something much bigger, that a butterfly flapping its wings at a certain time and place can cause a tornado, for instance.
Well, in the summer of 2020, a proverbial butterfly flapped its proverbial wings, and his name was Neal.
It was the summer of 2020, and in the same way that the pandemic had left everyone stuck at home, Bernd Leno had left Martinez stuck on the Arsenal bench.
The Argentine returned to the club at the start of the season after enjoying an excellent loan spell at Reading but had since only played a handful of cup matches with Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta both preferring Leno.
If he was to achieve his dream of playing for his country at the World Cup, he needed to start playing, but it was hard to see him doing so with his fellow goalkeeper performing well.
Then, 40 minutes into Arsenal’s trip to Brighton at the beginning of Project Restart, Neal Maupay and Leno challenged for a high ball, and the contact between the two caused the German to injure his knee, ruling him out for the season.
In his absence, Martinez was given a chance between the sticks, and he took it. In the eight remaining matches of the Premier League season, he was excellent, keeping three clean sheets and averaging four saves per game, also playing a big part in his team’s FA Cup triumph. His performances didn’t go unnoticed…
Despite his strong displays, it looked like Martinez would return to the bench the following season, but then Aston Villa came to his rescue, signing him for around £20m.
For the first time in his career, Martinez was now the first-choice goalkeeper at a top-flight club, and he quickly began to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s best.
Calls for him to be given his Argentina debut began to grow, and it felt like it would only be a matter of time before they’d be answered.
To the annoyance of Aston Villa and Argentina fans alike, Martinez was left on the bench for his nation’s final four matches of 2021, playing second fiddle to Franco Armani.
At the end of the season though, he was finally given the chance to represent his country, starting in the World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.
It couldn’t come at a better time, with steady performances in those matches convincing Lionel Scaloni to make him the team’s first-choice goalkeeper for the Copa America that started just over a week later.
The long-awaited start to his international career proved to be even better than he would have dreamed of as he helped his country win their first trophy since 1993.
Martinez was one of their stand-out players in their Copa America triumph, keeping four clean sheets, conceding just two goals and saving three penalties in the semi-final shootout against Colombia.
His efforts saw him named the best goalkeeper at the tournament and, more importantly, ensured he’d be Scaloni’s first-choice between the sticks going forward.
By the time the World Cup came around, Martinez had established himself as Argentina’s goalkeeper, but he made a somewhat disappointing start to the tournament, making just two saves in the first four matches with three efforts going past him.
He wasn’t able to make any from open play against the Netherlands either, failing to prevent the Dutch from fighting back from 2-0 down to take the game to penalties. In that shootout though, he came alive.
The 30-year-old saved the first two penalties he faced, from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis, and those saves ultimately sent Argentina through to the semi-finals where they’d beat Croatia 3-0.
In a carbon copy of the Netherlands match, Martinez was unable to prevent his team throwing away a 2-0 lead in the last 10 minutes of the World Cup final.
He was able to prevent them losing in the final minute of extra time though, making one of the best – if not most important – saves ever when Randal Kolo Muani went through on goal, and he wasn’t done there.
Martinez saved just the one penalty in the shootout this time around, but that was enough for his country to become world champions.
It’s fair to say they wouldn’t have done so without him, and therefore – by extension – wouldn’t have done so without Neal Maupay.
His Argentinian mother will be a proud woman, although he might not be too popular in his homeland of France.
The history books won’t remember the part you played Neal, but we will.
EPL
Tottenham weighing up decision on Antonio Conte future

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is weighing up whether to sack manager Antonio Conte this week, 90min understands.
While Spurs remain fourth in the Premier League, limp exits in the FA Cup and Champions League threw the Italian’s future into doubt and his meltdown at Southampton plunged the club further into crisis.
90min revealed earlier on Monday Tottenham could be forced to pay Conte a whipping £15m if they dismiss him before the end of the season.
Now, sources have confirmed Conte is back in Italy for a routine trip to his homeland having held talks with Spurs boss Levy. A final decision has not yet been reached but a number of officials at the club believe Conte’s position is untenable.
Football
Players of the MLS Matchday 4

Another weekend of MLS saw action-packed scenes on the field from coast to coast.
From one-sided blowouts to records being broken, week four of MLS lived up to the expectations set by week three. On the field, many players stood out for their teams, making them worthy of praise for their efforts.
Here at the top five players from week four…
FC Cincinnati started off the season well; They are currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference with eight points through four games. Their latest match against the Chicago Fire was an all-out attacking spectacle.
Junior Moreno led the way for Cincinnati with a two-goal performance that saw the men in Orange take a point home. Though Moreno isn’t the most well-known player on the roster, his impact was felt on match date four.
Jesus Ferreira is a man in form. The 22-year-old was on the score sheet once again for FC Dallas as they beat Sporting KC 2-1.
Ferreira had a complete game, scoring once and also creating for his teammates. With this win, Dallas is now fourth in the Western Conference on seven points.
Here comes Joao Klauss!
The 26-year-old Brazillian notched his third goal in four games for St. Louis City as they beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0. Despite being a forward, Klauss was active on both sides of the pitch, ending the game with five passes into the final third, two interceptions, and three recoveries.
Talk about a well-rounded player.
CF Montreal got their first win of the season with a shock victory against defending Eastern Conference champions, the Philadelphia Union.
Romell Quioto led the way for Hernan Losada’s men scoring a brace to lift them over a struggling Union side. The Honduras international finished the game with four total shots, two passes into the final third on just 27 touches, the least of any outfield player.
What more can be said about Thiago Almada?
Arguably the best player in the league, the World Cup winner is having an incredible start to the year for Atlanta United. Not only did the Stars and Stripes put on a clinic against the Portland Timbers, but Almada scored a Goal of the Year candidate in the 45th minute with a looping free kick to beat Timbers netminder Aljaz Ivacic.
With performances like these, it’s only a matter of time before big European clubs come knocking for the young Argentine’s talents.
Football
Charlotte FC quiet the Lions as they pick up their first win of the season

Charlotte FC picks up their first win of the season with a challenging 2-1 win away at Orlando City.
With the pressure mounting after three straight losses to start the season, Charlotte FC broke their winless streak with a 2-1 triumph over Orlando City SC. Head coach Christian Lattanzio lined up his side in a slightly different starting XI, leaving Designated Players Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jóźwiak on the bench due to bad form. In their place were 21-year-old Kerwin Vargas and 25-year-old McKinze Gaines.
Since arriving in MLS, Jozwiak has fallen short of expectations, with the Poland international failing to score in the league and only assisting three times in 23 matches. This personnel switch saw Charlotte play an attacking brand of football with much more cohesion as a team.
“…I am very, very proud of the boys because they played a complete game in the sense that they attacked when they had the possibility to do it. They defended when they had to. In football, you need to fight to impose your game and impose yourself into the game. And I think that this has to be a part of our DNA.”
Lattanzio spoke about the lineup changes after the match, saying that he gave specific players chances to show their quality, but their on-field performances fell flat.
“I made the changes because we played three games and I gave certain players opportunities to play and I think it’s only fair to give other players opportunities when things don’t work the way we’d like them to work.”
He also touched on their roster depth and how it’s important to give chances to players who will perform well.
“It’s part of the team, that’s why we have a roster and on many occasions I said that I really trust all the players on the roster because they train well. We decided to give opportunities to guys that trained well, and they proved it.”
Though it is a massive win for Charlotte, rookie goalkeeper George Marks pumped the brakes on the hype train and said in his post-game comments that the team needs to continue to work hard if they want results like this to come.
“…Tomorrow it’s back to the grindstone, try to look at the performance objectively, not just throw it to the side because we won the game and try to look at the little details, what we could do better, what we need to continue to do, so we can get this thing rolling in the right direction.
“I said during the week not to talk, to put the head down, keep working. And despite the win, for me it’s the same. We keep the head down, we let other people talk now. We let people talk, we listen, whatever, but we are very determined to improve on a weekly basis”.
Charlotte FC will continue their MLS campaign this weekend as they take on the New York Red Bulls.
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