“He f*cked it all” - When Emi Martinez singled out France star for being ‘nervous’ in FIFA World Cup final loss to Argentina

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez - the hero of his nation's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph - said that his mental games got the better of France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

The Real Madrid man missed his effort in the shootout after an exhilarating 3-3 draw after 120 minutes between defending champions Les Bleus and Argentina. The shootout started with the game's two heroes, Kylian Mbappe - who had scored a hat-trick - and Lionel Messi - who starred with a brace - converting their efforts before Martinez took centre-stage.

An argument with the referee before Kingsley Coman's attempt led to the Frenchman seeing his attempt saved by Martinez before Paulo Dybala gave La Albiceleste a 2-1 lead.

Before France's next attempt - by Tchoaumeni - Martinez was at it again, throwing the ball to the edge of the box, unsettling the Frenchman enough, causing him to fire wide. Leandro Paredes converted his effort to put Argentina on the brink of victory.

Randal Kolo Muani's successful effort only served to delay the inevitable as Gonzalo Montiel have Argentina an unassailable 4-2 lead, confirming their first World Cup win in 36 years. Martinez said during the victory parade in Buenos Aires in December 2022 (via GOAL) about his antics in the shootout:

“When I save the first penalty in the final, I know that the other boy was going to be very nervous. I tried to play him mentally by throwing the ball away, talking to him. ... And he missed the goal, he f*cked it all.”

Argentina would go on to add the 2024 Copa America to their collection, while France crashed out of Euro 2024 with a 2-1 semi-final defeat to eventual winners Spain.

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What's next for Argentina and France?

Argentina will be in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying action this week.

Both Argentina and France will be in competitive action this week. La Albiceleste continue their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday against Chile at the Arena Monumental in Buenos Aires before travelling to Colombia five days later.

Lionel Scaloni's side are atop the CONMEBOL standings with 15 points from six games as they look to qualify for the USA showpiece in two years' time. However, La Albiceleste will be without their talismanic captain Lionel Messi, who has been out injured since the 1-0 extra-time win over Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final in July.

Meanwhile, France commence their UEFA Nations League campaign against Italy on Friday at the Parc des Princes before taking on Belgium three days later in Lyon.