Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez broke the Argentina team’s record, setting a new remarkable milestone after appearing in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez started for Argentina in the match against Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup Qualifier in South America. They won 1-0 thanks to Otamendi’s only goal at the beginning of the match.
Martinez played for Argentina for the 7th consecutive match since winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December. With a total of 609 minutes, he set the record for the longest minutes on the field without conceding a goal.
Specifically, Argentina has not conceded a goal since the World Cup final. 7 matches plus 2 minutes since Kylian Mbappe’s 118th minute equalizer for France.
The Argentine team has kept 7 consecutive clean sheets. Photo: Getty.
Teammate Rodrigo De Paul said of Martinez’s performance after the match: “He continues to write history with his records. I hope it never ends.”
Martinez is considered the hero of Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final against France. He made important saves in 120 minutes, before successfully making one save in the penalty shootout to preserve the team’s result. He was honored as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, the one who retained the championship after Messi scored a difficult double against France.
Argentina is at the top of the group in the World Cup qualifiers with 3 wins after 3 matches, maintaining a stable performance even without Lionel Messi. They are also the only team that has not conceded a goal among the teams participating in the South American qualifiers.
Contributing to this impressive defensive achievement is defender Cristian Romero. He was also praised by Messi and confirmed as the number 1 defender in the world after the match against Ecuador last September.
In the next match, Argentina will travel to Peru’s stadium on October 18. Peru has only 1 point after 3 matches, ranking last on the rankings.