Arsenal's Martinez decision comes under fire after Messi's "phenomenon" claim

Emiliano Martinez was Argentina's hero as he saved three penalties during their shootout win over Colombia in the Copa America semi-final.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw after Luis Diaz cancelled out Lautaro Martinez's opener for Argentina.

But Martinez ensured it would be a showdown with old rivals Brazil in the final, thanks to a stunning performance in the penalty competition.

The Aston Villa stopper saved from Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina and Edwin Cardona, assisted by a number of perfectly applied distraction techniques.

Before Mina's penalty, Martinez was overheard telling the Everton defender that he "looked scared", a prediction which was instantly proved correct.

It wasn't his only bit of trash talking, with the confident keeper constantly in communication with the Colombia takers as three players tried and failed to beat him from the spot.

"I'm speechless," Martinez said post-match. "They took us to penalties and that's a question of luck, today it was my turn for glory."

Martinez only earned his first Argentina cap last month, thanks to a stunning first season in the Midlands following his exit from Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta opted to sell the 28-year-old, instead keeping Bernd Leno as his No.1, despite some impressive performances at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

He helped the Gunners to FA Cup glory against Chelsea, before replicating the feat in the Community Shield against Liverpool a month later.

However, Arteta made the difficult decision to recall Leno following his recovery from injury, paving the way for Martinez to join Villa.

It's a choice which continues to draw criticism thanks to his performances both at club, and now international level.

Lionel Messi, who created Argentina's first goal, described Martinez as a "phenomenon" thanks to his heroics in the shootout.

"We have Emi, who is a phenomenon," said Messi, who scored from 12 yards himself. "We trusted him. We achieved the goal of being able to play all the games and now we are going to the final."

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni also heaped praise on Martinez, describing his immediate impact on the squad.

"We are very happy with Emiliano's performance, not only because of the penalties, but also because of the security that he is transmitting," he said. "The group of defenders is permanently supported and we like that."

Argentina now face Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in a mouth watering final on Saturday night after the hosts beat Peru in their semi-final clash.