Argentina goalkeeper says referee is useless, asks Van Gaal to keep quiet

Satisfaction with Argentina’s qualification to the World Cup semifinals did not calm down the interview given by Emiliano Martínez. Decisive in the victory on penalties, after a 2-2 draw, the goalkeeper adopted an aggressive tone against the referee, the Spaniard Antonio Mateu Lahoz, and the coach of the Netherlands, Louis van Gaal.

“We made it 2-0, we had the game under control. They hit a good header, then things changed. The referee started to give everything to the other side. He gave ten minutes of added time, for no reason. or three times. I hope we don’t see him again. It’s useless,” he said.

With Van Gaal, the problem was an interview that the Dutchman would have given before the game. The coach showed confidence in his goalkeeper, Andries Noppert, 2.03 m, in an eventual dispute over shots from the penalty mark. He made no defenses. Martinez scored twice.

“I heard Van Gaal saying they had the advantage on penalties: ‘If it goes to penalties, we’ll win’. I think he needs to keep his mouth shut,” he said.

The goalkeeper, finally, answered briefly about what he expects from the confrontation with Croatia, next Tuesday (13), which will qualify for a place in the decision of the World Cup in Qatar. “It’s a tough game. Every game here is tough.”