Roma star Paulo Dybala revealed that he was advised where to shoot his penalty by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez during the World Cup final against France.
The 29-year-old Giallorossi forward hardly featured at the tournament in Qatar, having suffered a hamstring injury back in October. Dybala played 16 minutes of the semi-final win over Croatia and came on in the dying minutes of the final against France to take a penalty in the decisive shoot-out, putting a lot of pressure on the former Juventus man.
Speaking after the final via Alfredo Pedulla, Dybala revealed that he was told where to shoot his penalty by Martinez, who was Argentina’s hero in the tiebreaker.
“The penalty scored in the final was kicked centrally thanks to Emi Martinez’s advice. I was aware that I only went in to take a penalty, so I had to keep my nerve.
“It took me a while to get to the penalty spot. I wanted to kick at an angle but Emi Martinez told me ‘if they miss, kick centrally because their goalkeeper will dive for sure’, I did well to listen. That’s exactly what happened.”
Roma were overjoyed with Dybala’s success at the World Cup in Qatar and they’ll be hoping that the 29-year-old is fully fit for the second half of the season. The return of the Argentinian star will give Jose Mourinho’s side a key attacking boost in their quest for a top four finish.
Contributes one kick and is immortalised. Hats off to him.