World Cup: Martinez’ expert ‘s***housery’ thwarted Tchouameni in World Cup final penalty shoot-out

Video has shown exactly how Aurelien Tchouameni fell victim to expert ‘s***housery’ from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the World Cup final penalty shoot-out.

Argentina triumphed 4-2 on penalties against France to give Lionel Messi the ending he has always wanted after a hugely entertaining, see-saw showpiece ended 3-3 after extra time on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

And footage released on social media has proved the Aston Villa stopper thwarted Tchouameni by playing mind-games with the Les Bleus midfielder before his spot-kick – with the Real Madrid star far from the first to miss because of his antics.

The France midfielder missed from the spot as Argentina won the World Cup final on Sunday

And social media footage has shown what Martinez did before the kick to put Tchouameni off

The stopper has been criticised for his lack of sportsmanship during the game in Lusail, Qatar

Argentina captain Messi, who scored twice during the match, and France superstar Kylian Mbappe, who netted a hat-trick, each scored their side’s first penalty, before Martinez saved from Kingsley Coman and Paulo Dybala made it 2-1.

All the pressure was now on 22-year-old Tchouameni, before Martinez, 30, stepped in to put him off even further.

A Twitter video shows him picking up the ball and bouncing it before walking along his goal-line and raising his hands to the Argentina-dominated crowd behind the goal, calling for more noise.

Then just as referee Szymon Marciniak asks for the ball to be given to Tchouameni, he throws it away to the edge of the box so his opponent has to go and get it. The Polish official gives him a talking-to but somehow contrives not to book him.

With Martinez diving the correct way again and psyched out by the goalkeeper, Tchouameni pulled his penalty wide. Leandro Paredes and Randal Kolo Muani scored next, making it 3-2, before Gonzalo Montiel netted the tournament-winning penalty.

Martinez was eventually booked for his antics during the shoot-out but his tactics prevailed

But the former Arsenal star has history for that kind of behaviour, provoking Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes (No 8) into missing a stoppage-time penalty in September

He also shouted at Colombia’s Yerry Mina to put him off before saving the Everton defender’s penalty in the 2021 Copa America semi-final – a competition the Albiceleste eventually won

Martinez put off Crystal Palace’s Wilf Zaha and saved his penalty – but Zaha scored the rebound

The former Arsenal star has a history for this kind of behaviour – he prevented Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes scoring a stoppage-time equaliser from the spot, pointing at his team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and telling him to take it instead.

The normally reliable Portuguese, who shared penalty-taking duties with Ronaldo, then blazed his penalty high over the crossbar before Martinez danced around in celebration after.

In the Copa America semi-final against Colombia in 2021, a competition Argentina eventually won, he shouted ‘You’re nervous, huh? I can tell you’re nervous’, ‘I know where you’re going to shoot’ and ‘Watch and see how I’m gonna eat you up’ at Yerry Mina to distract him. He then saved Mina’s penalty.

And in the Premier League this season, his team’s attempts to delay Wilfried Zaha’s penalty against Crystal Palace and his words to distract the Ivorian worked in part – with Martinez saving the initial attempt – before Zaha scored the rebound.

The Eagles star then gave Martinez a taste of his own medicine, standing over him in celebration before grinning and cupping his ears.