Emi Martinez Explains How He Won the World Cup for Argentina With His Incredible Kolo Muani Save

• Gonzalo Montiel may have converted the last penalty to help Argentina win its third World Cup crown
• But the man responsible for taking the epic World Cup final to penalty shootout and eventual victory was Emiliano Martinez
• The man-mountain of a goalkeeper pulled off a staggering last-minute save to deny France's Kolo Muani

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has shed light on how he pulled off his last-ditch crucial save in the World Cup final.

Martinez, who collected the Golden Glove award at the tournament, was the difference between France and a third World Cup crown.

The 30-year-old custodian denied France's Randal Kolo Muani from point-blank range with virtually the last kick before the penalty shootouts, Daily Mail reports.

As if that was not enough, Emi Martinez, affectionately called Dibu came up tops again, saving Kingsley Coman's kick while causing Tchouameni to miss the target with his antics on the line.

Luis Suarez sparks massive brawl in Brazil

Football

Although the plaudits ended up at the doorsteps of Lionel Messi, the playing body including fans of La Albiceleste reckon their World Cup triumph would not have been possible without Martinez.

Providing details on how he managed to pull off his spectacular save, the Aston Villa goalie said as quoted by Football Tweet:

“I sensed that he would hit it on a volley. I left diagonally, intentionally leaving a space to my left as if to say 'put it there'.

"I pushed him to hit it there and when he hit the ball I opened my left arm and leg to close the angle."

Here is the video of Martinez's save:

Since the incident, Muani has gone on to light up the Bundesliga, scoring or providing an assist in four of his last five official games across all competitions.

Unseen video reveals Messi's reaction to Emi Martinez save on Kolo Muani

Football

Meanwhile, Martinez has been ever present in between the sticks for Aston Villa, losing only one game since his return from the Mundial.

Messi's reaction to Martinez's big save

New footage of how Lionel Messi reacted to Emiliano Martinez’s last-ditch save in the World Cup final has gone viral, Sports Brief earlier reported.

With the game in the balance, France forward, Muani had a golden opportunity in the dying moments of the game to grab a late win for France at the Lusail Stadium, after coming up one-on-one against Argentina goalkeeper, Martinez.

However, the Aston Villa shot-stopper spread himself in epic fashion to deny the Eintracht Frankfurt striker.