Nicolás Otamendi spoke about the World Cup final, Emiliano Martínez making the big save and Lionel Messi.
Otamendi has won everything there is to win with the Argentina national team. The biggest trophy being the World Cup. The 35 year old spoke in an interview with Star+ about the World Cup final. Here is what he had to say:
“After having been winning 2-0 and drawing 2-2, it was difficult to keep the result. Pep Guardiola called me after the World Cup to congratulate me and asked me “how did you manage to have the mentality to be winning 2-0, get a draw and be able to keep the result?”
The Argentine also spoke about his header in the World Cup final where the ball would fall to Kolo Muani and he was one on one with Emiliano Martínez:
“That one was really hard because I was caught clearing and I never thought they would control it and put it back. I came back calmly and when I saw the ball was opening up, then I realized that I was not going to make it and I didn’t but I tried to clear it with my toe.
“Then the left foot of the beast saved it and I think our hearts were paralyzed. Then the ball fell to me and we did the counterattack that fell to Lautaro. Those are seconds that in a final, you can’t sleep because they take their toll on you.”
He also commented on the penalty shootout and winning the World Cup:
“It happened, it had to happen. We Argentines live to suffer and it had to happen that way. It was an incredible final in which we were able to be crowned. We were in the lead on penalties, we had it very clear.
“I was looking up, praying to all the possible saints. I had the feeling that it was ours. There are times when you feel it’s 50-50 but at that moment when we all got together and Scaloni started to name the kickers, our minds were set on the fact that we couldn’t let it slip away.
“We had just come from the penalty shootout against Holland and we had that spirit, that clarity that everything was going to be all right.”
Argentina against the Netherlands was an emotional match and Lionel Messi produced a memorable celebration:
“We didn’t know that Leo was going to do that, I think it just came out in the moment but they talked a lot.”
About the match against Mexico at the World Cup:
“That’s when we broke the deadlock. For me, it was one of the most important matches of the World Cup because we have to win to avoid having to depend on other results. From then on, we said it was one match at a time. The Mexico and Netherlands matches were the toughest ones.”
