Emiliano Martinez has said Argentina’s players are ready for the final battle for glory at the World Cup, where he believes everyone wants them to lose.
The Albiceleste have qualified for their sixth ever final thanks to a Lionel Messi-inspired triumph against 2018 finalists Croatia with a convincing 3-0 win at the Lusail Stadium.
In Sunday’s final, they will face the reigning champion, France, who in the semi-finals eliminated the surprise of this tournament, Morocco, with a 2-0 victory.
“I can not believe it. I just can’t believe it. We lost the first game. Suddenly everything turned upside down. People doubted us. Of course, we lost our 36-game unbeaten streak.”
“Against Mexico, the first half was a bit weak. Everyone wanted us to lose, so it’s us against the rest of the world.
“I am very happy that this group of 26 players are all fighters and we have 45 million Argentines all behind us. It’s just amazing. We feel the crowd in the streets – they are all full of Argentines.
“Every time we play we are at home. We feel like we are at home. There are about 40,000, 50,000 Argentines in each stadium. We are very happy to have them”, said the goalkeeper.
Argentina fans have outnumbered supporters of any other nation in Qatar, where the chance to see Lionel Messi at his fifth and final World Cup has been a huge draw.