Argentina vs Croatia: A battle of the goalies

Goalkeepers in football are often the most overlooked players on the pitch, but in FIFA World Cup 2022, we have seen some remarkable goalkeeping performances, including that of Argentina's Emiliano Martinez and Croatia's Dominik Livakovic. With the two teams set to meet, let us see how this battle of the goalkeepers will shape up.

Fiery Martinez vs dependable Livakovic

Emiliano is known for his charged-up, fiery performances; he plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League and is regarded as one of the best keepers in that competition. Every elite goalkeeper has well-toned qualities, and Emiliano Martinez is no exception. He is less prone to mistakes, has remarkable collection and placement skills, and has demonstrated exceptional shot-stopping talents.

On the other side, Livakovic has a rather subdued persona but he is also very calm as is rarely seen rushing for a clearing or during set pieces. He only leaps on controllable balls, thus his cross-interceptions are excellent. Reflexes help Livakovic defend against strikes that come from within the box with ease.

Top-notch saves when called upon duty

If you want to have a goalkeeper who will save shots from opponents nonstop, you will have a hard time choosing between these two. As we saw in the Brazil vs. Croatia match, Livakovic saved 9 shots, many of them felt like sure goals if it was not for his brilliance. On the other hand, Emiliano stepped up big against Australia, saving what seemed like a sure Australian goal at the far end of the match.

Penalty shootout heroes

Penalty shootouts are the bane of existence for any football player as even after having a great match, a moment's madness can make them submit to failure, or become a hero to the millions. That's what Livakovic has become to Croatian fans, as he stopped all three penalties that Japan took against Croatia in the shootout, and then to top it up, he saved the very first penalty of Brazil too, denying them any momentum at the start, as a result, they could not recover and Croatia won the shootout.

Not to be outdone, Emiliano also showcased his penalty-saving abilities when he saved the first two penalties of the Netherlands. The first penalty save was a thing of beauty as the shot was going to the farther corner of the goalpost with so much power. Emiliano was so charged up, he guessed the right side and was seen celebrating wildly after the stop.

So who comes out on top?

That is something we will see in the first semi-final of the World Cup. Irrespective of who wins the match, it has been nothing short of mesmerising to see goalkeepers also hogging the spotlight and gaining some much-needed recognition and admiration from football fans around the world.