Aston Villa: Argentine media all on the same page about Emi Martinez after Cape Verde scare

Aston Villa's Emi Martinez was vital in Argentina's difficult World Cup win over Cape Verde in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The goalkeeper has been linked with a move away from Villa Park in recent weeks, as the Villans have begun their search for a replacement.

Martinez has been tipped to join Juventus, but a current club-to-club disagreement is preventing a deal from happening.

The 33-year-old has been important for Unai Emery over the years, and perhaps even more pivotal for his country.

Argentina just scraped past Cape Verde to reach the last 16 with a 3-2 win after extra time.

However, Martinez made some big stops in extra time, which his nation appears to be ever grateful for.

Argentine media all thankful for Emi Martinez

Martinez has already had some impressive displays at the World Cup, though he, like most teammates, has been overshadowed by the greatness of Lionel Messi.

The Villa star made two vital stops in the 116th and 119th minutes of the game, which the Argentine media were all thankful for.

BA Times wrote: "Martinez had been a spectator in the first half, but the Aston Villa goalkeeper was forced into a smart save by [Deroy] Duarte.

"Martinez was powerless for the equaliser moments later. Argentina still had to ride their luck from a Cape Verde onslaught in the final moments.

"Martinez this time won the battle with Lopes Cabral by tipping over another sweet strike that was headed for the top corner."

Ole explained how the former Arsenal man "came to the rescue" during the game, later throwing himself in the way to deny Gilson Tavares late on.

TYC Sports labelled Martinez "crucial", and when looking at his stats from the game, it's clear to see why.

Martinez's stats show why Argentina's media love him

Martinez, of course, played the full 120 minutes. During that time, had 36 touches.

He had a pass accuracy of 79 per cent, as he made eight recoveries and five throws throughout the knockout clash.

The Villa man made three diving saves, one being from inside the box, as he faced 1.48 expected goals on target, conceding two.

Despite Martinez preventing minus 0.52 goals, the reaction from the media suggests that he was let down by his defence more than himself, as his country conceded 16 shots to Cape Verde, who also created 0.47 xG with just 36 per cent possession.

Martinez made a save in the 116th minute from a free kick outside the box which had just 0.04 chance of going in, in terms of xG, but the ball was placed almost to perfection in the top corner.

He had the final say when performing a stretching save to deny a header in the 119th minute, which had an expected effort on target of 0.28.

It's clear to see why he remains one of Argentina's favourite sons.