Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez delivered a dazzling performance for Argentina during their 3-2 World Cup round of 32 win over Cape Verde.
The reigning champions went into the game yesterday as clear-cut favourites to beat the African nation, but they were made to work hard for the victory in Miami.
Lisandro Martinez was the standout performer, in our view. The United centre-back delivered a sensational long ball for Lionel Messi to open the scoring.
At the start of extra time, the 28-year-old came up with a picture-perfect finish at the near post to put Argentina back into the lead (2-1).
Cape Verde equalised with a world-class strike from Sidny Lopes Cabral, but Argentina progressed to the next round after a 111th-minute own goal from Diney.
Shortly after the game, TyC Sports awarded Martinez a 9/10 rating and said he has had a ‘great World Cup’.
The Argentine television outlet added it was an ‘unforgettable match’ for Martinez after a goal and an assist.
They wrote: “We can now say that Lisandro has had a great World Cup. Argentina needed the long ball, and Licha was there with surgical precision for a 50-meter goal-scoring pass.
“But he also needed it many times to start plays, and he did so flawlessly with perfect judgement.
“And when it mattered most, when the game was heating up, he delivered a spectacular goal. An unforgettable match.”
Martinez has had an unbelievable World Cup campaign. The United ace has been brilliant with the ball at his feet, completing 96 percent of his passes.
He has likewise been superb defensively with six clearances and three recoveries per game. The centre-back showed the creative side of him yesterday.
His 50-yard long ball for Messi’s opening goal was simply out of the world, and the Argentine came up with an even better finish at the beginning of extra time.
The £57 million signing has been disrupted by injuries at United in recent years, but he appears to have found his best form for Argentina during the World Cup.
Argentina will face Egypt in the round of 16. If they manage to advance further, Switzerland or Colombia could be their opponents in the quarter-final stage.
Stats from Sofascore
