Doha: Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said “passion and heart” propelled his side into the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-finals - and he was delighted to bring joy to his struggling country.
Martinez was one of the heroes of the quarter-final, saving the Netherlands’ first two spot-kicks in the penalty shootout after the match ended 2-2 following extra time.
Argentina won the shootout 4-3 to move into a semi-final on Tuesday against Croatia, the surprise victors against Brazil.
“We are in the semi-final because we have passion and heart. We are excited, just like the people,” Martinez said.
“The first thing that comes to mind is emotion. I do this for 45 million people,” he added. “The country is not having a good time due to economic issues and giving joy to people is the most satisfying thing at this time.” Captain Lionel Messi said Argentina’s mental strength and determination took them through after the Netherlands had fought back from 2-0 down.
“We didn’t want extra time or penalties,” said Messi. “We suffered too much because of how everything happened, but it is the quarter-finals of a World Cup.”
Messi had scored his fourth goal of the tournament from the spot in the 73rd minute after an earlier assist for Nahuel Molina’s opener.
“We knew how to suffer when it was our turn, but we got through to the semi-finals. It’s beautiful, something impressive.”
