Yahoo News Arsenal's Emi Martinez reacts to FA Cup Final 'handball' claims with Pokemon joke
Emi Martinez isn't about to let a little controversy get in the way of his fairytale FA Cup triumph.
With Arsenal's number one goalkeeper Bernd Leno out injured since late June, Martinez has proven a capable deputy for Mikel Arteta's Gunners.
Having spent 10 years at the club, the Argentine was afforded a dream start in Saturday's FA Cup Final against Chelsea - and Martinez and his defence held their nerve as the Gunners fought back from a goal down to win 2-1.
Martinez fought back tears at the final whistle, reflecting on what the moment meant for both him and his family in Argentina.
He said on BBC One: "When we started losing, everything looked against us, but.. I can't really talk."
Martinez told Arsenal's site: "I’ve worked really hard at the club for 10 years for opportunities like this. I couldn’t be prouder.
"I spoke to [my family] the whole week and my dad didn’t want to speak a lot about it because he was too nervous, but I bet in Argentina [my family are crying]."
There was a controversial moment involving Martinez which angered Chelsea fans: with Arsenal leading 2-1 in the second half, the keeper came to claim a ball on the edge of his area - and replays proved inconclusive as to whether he handled the ball outside the area.
However, Martinez shot down any suggestions he had committed a potential red card offence by posting a photo of himself on Instagram.
The photo shows Martinez catching the ball on the line, with the caption: "My best moment at Wembley was catching a pokemon #pikachu" - a reference to the advertising hoardings to the side of the pitch.
My best moment at Wembley was catching a pokemon 🤣 #pikachu
A post shared by Emiliano Martinez (@emi_martinez26) on Aug 2, 2020 at 2:31am PDT
Gotta catch 'em all...
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