FIFA World Cup 2022 top players: Emiliano Martinez wins Golden Glove
Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez produced more penalty shoot-out heroics in the final to secure Argentina their third world title in Qatar, getting the better of opposite number Hugo Lloris.
Football
Emiliano Martinez collected the Golden Glove award after helping Argentina to glory at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Martinez, who plays for English Premier League side Aston Villa, was named the tournament's best goalkeeper after his second penalty shoot-out victory in Qatar in the final against France.
All four goalkeepers of the teams that reached the semi-finals - Argentina, France, Croatia and Morocco - boasted keepers who had excelled throughout the tournament.
In the end, it was the 30-year-old who succeeded Belgium's Thibaut Courtois in claiming the Golden Glove.
Emi Martinez (Argentina)
While his captain Lionel Messi deservedly stole the headlines in Qatar, finally winning the World Cup at his fifth attempt, Martinez certainly played his part in his nations's world title triumph.
After a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game, Argentina responded with two wins - with Martinez keeping two clean sheets - to go through to the round of 16.
More Messi magic saw La Albiceleste into a 2-0 lead over Australia before Martinez was beaten by a wickedly deflected shot which was credited as an Enzo Fernandez own goal.
But he pulled off a vital save from substitute Garang Kuol deep into injury time to send Argentina through.
In the quarter-finals, Argentina again looked safe and secure at 2-0 up but the Netherlands struck twice to force the game into extra time and then penalties.
Martinez was inspired in the shoot-out, making fine saves from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis to help secure his side's passage to the last four.
He was less busy in the semi-final against a Croatia side which failed to carve out clear-cut chances as Argentina won 3-0 to reach the final.
The first 80 minutes of the World Cup Final were fairly uneventful for the Aston Villa keeper as his teammates again went into a 2-0 lead, but then Kylian Mbappe scored twice to take the game into extra time.
And after Messi had scored to make it 3-2, Martinez was beaten for a second time from the spot by Mbappe before he made a wonderful stop with his legs to deny Randal Kolo Muani.
After Mbappe had netted France's opener in the subsequent shoot-out, Martinez made an excellent save from Kingsley Coman.
While some of his antics may have bordered on gamesmanship, he was certainly effective as he then distracted Aurelien Tchouameni sufficiently for the midfielder to fire his penalty wide.
With his teammates perfect from the spot, that was enough for Argentina to clinch their third World Cup title with Martinez named the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Here are the numbers behind his Golden Glove charge.
Hugo Lloris (France)
France captain Hugo Lloris led his side to a second consecutive World Cup Final and became his nation's most capped player in Qatar.
The 35-year-old made his 143rd international appearance against England in the quarter-finals, overtaking Lilian Thuram.
Of the eight shots on target England had in that knockout clash, just one - a penalty from Tottenham teammate Harry Kane - got past Lloris with Kane sending a second penalty over the bar late on.
Going into the semi-finals, Lloris was the only goalkeeper left in the tournament without a clean sheet to his name. But that changed as Les Bleus beat Morocco 2-0 despite the North Africans dominating possession for long periods.
Then came the final against Argentina where Lloris was beaten twice in normal time and once in extra time. He was also unable to keep out any spot-kicks in the shoot-out as Lionel Messi and co prevailed.
Dominik Livaković (Croatia)
Croatia’s Dominik Livaković proved his worth in two penalty shoot-outs on the biggest stage of all.
He was inspired in his side's final group game against Belgium with Romelu Lukaku and co unable to find a way past him despite piling on the pressure in the second half.
In the round of 16, the Dinamo Zagreb keeper conceded just his second goal of the tournament when Daizen Maeda put Japan ahead.
But Ivan Perisic headed Croatia level with the game going to penalties. And Livaković rose to the occasion, saving three out of four Japanese spot-kicks to send his side through to the quarter-finals against Brazil.
There was no score in normal time, and it was not until the dying seconds of the first half of extra time that the pre-tournament favourites found the net thanks to some magic from Neymar. But Bruno Petkovic’s late strike gave Livaković a chance to shine again in a shoot-out.
He did not disappoint, saving from Rodrygo as Croatia won 4-2 to reach the semi-finals for the second World Cup in succession.
Eventual winners Argentina proved too strong in the semi-finals, running out comfortable 3-0 victors, but Livaković was back on form in the third-place match as Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1.
His tally of 25 saves was the highest in the tournament, making him a strong contender for the Golden Glove.
Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
Yassine Bounou was a key part of Morocco's historic run to the semi-finals of the World Cup, the first time an African nation has reached that stage.
The 31-year-old moved several times during his career before settling at Sevilla where he had previously been on loan, but there was no doubt about his role as Morocco's number one.
In their run to the last four, Bounou conceded just one goal - an own goal by Nayef Aguerd against Canada - with his prowess with the gloves allied to the Atlas Lions' hard work in defence paying dividends.
He missed the 2-0 win over Belgium through injury, but coach Walid Regragui immediately restored him to the line-up in place of Munir and was rewarded for his loyalty.
Bounou was also the hero in the side's famous penalty shoot-out win over Spain in the round of 16, saving from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets to send Morocco through.
After he kept another clean sheet against Portugal, Bounou had to pick the ball out of the net twice in the semi-final defeat to holders France with Morocco's missing key defenders through injury.
He also conceded two in the third-place match defeat to Croatia, but that should not take the shine off an unforgettable tournament for Bounou and Morocco.