‘I’m eating you up’: Argentina the masters of shoot-out mind games
Key points
- Argentine Emiliano Martinez has starred in shootouts for club and country.
- Will Andrew Redmayne take his dancing antics to a World Cup shootout.
- World Cup penalty shootouts are about expectation, composure and mind games.
It’s football’s version of ultimate survivor.
As the World Cup moves into the knockout stages, the penalty shoot-out comes into the equation – the dramatic tie-breaker that ends in jubilation for the winner and utter dejection for the loser.
If Australia and Argentina are still square after 120 minutes of football on Sunday morning, a progression to the quarter-finals will boil down to about nine minutes of man-on-man roulette from 12 yards.
Penalty shootouts are where mind games abound, superstars can be humbled and custodians can turn heroes. On Sunday morning, the key men could be a Grey Wiggle and an Argentinian “crazy cannibal”.
The expectation is for all five penalty-takers from each side to score – but in 30 shoot-outs at the World Cup, there has never been a perfect 10.
If it comes to it, Australia are likely to turn to reserve keeper Andrew Redmayne, whose heroics in the play-off in June last year helped the Socceroos book their place in Qatar. Brought on by coach Graham Arnold solely for the shoot-out due to his penalty-saving prowess, the Sydney FC keeper danced and waved his arms and legs on the goal line as the Peruvians stepped up for their moment of destiny, saving the crucial kick to win the tie for his side.
Andrew Redmayne preparing for penalty shootouts on the training ground in Qatar this week.Credit:Getty
But Redmayne isn’t the only one who likes a bit of mind games.
Argentina’s goalkeeper is the sharped-tongued Emiliano Martinez, who helped Arsenal win the Community Shield in a shootout in 2020 and talked up a storm to unsettle Colombia’s penalty takers during a Copa América semi-final in July.
The empty stadium for that tie meant Martinez’ mind games were caught on pitch microphones, as the Aston Villa stopper backed up his trash talk with three penalty saves to send Argentina to the final.
“I’m eating you up,” he said to Colombia’s Yerry Mina before guessing the right way to save the second spot-kick of the shootout.
It was the culmination of a minute of pyschological warfare.
“You’re nervous, huh? You’re laughing, but you’re nervous,” he told Mina as he walked to the spot. “Yeah, yeah. You’re nervous. You’re nervous”.
Martinez tried to disrupt his opponent by appealing to the referee. “Hey! The ball is ahead [of the penalty spot],” he shouted. “Yeah, yeah. Turn a blind eye.”
But he saved his best for Mina at the top of his run-up.
“I already know you,” Martinez said. “Hey, look. See how I know where you’ll shoot. And then I’ll save it. I’m eating you up, brother. I’m eating you up, brother.”
Later in the, he was cautioned by the referee after calling another Colombian penalty-taker “a pussy.”
Shootouts are about composure and Argentina have a World Cup record to fear.
They have gone to penalties five times and won four – twice in semi-finals, most recently against the Netherlands in 2014.
Australia have twice qualified for the World Cup through spot-kicks and have an equally stellar major tournament record, having won four of five shootouts including beating Uzbekistan in the round of 16 in 2019 Asian Cup, where captain Mat Ryan was the hero.
Plenty of preparation goes into penalty shoot-outs. Keepers have notes and analyses on each taker – but Redmayne famously tossed his opposite number’s cheat sheet away during the play-off.
Andrew Redmayne makes his crucial penalty save.Credit:Network Ten
Redmayne’s trickery is well known now, and he will have to be careful to make sure he is behind the line when the penalty is taken to stay within the rules. VAR can review whether a keeper has strayed off their line when the ball is struck.
For all his movement before the kick is taken, Redmayne is set in position as the ball is struck. In the shootout against Peru, he got a hand to the third penalty, turning it onto the right post to negate Peru’s early advantage after Martin Boyle had missed the Socceroos’ first penalty.
Before Peru’s crucial sixth penalty, Redmayne delayed the process as long as possible to add to the pressure and tension.
His save and clownish celebratory smile became a World Cup qualifying memory equal to John Aloisi’s mad dash around Stadium Australia after sending Australia back to World Cup in 2005.
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