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Lisandro Martinez and Argentina got their COPA America preparations under way with a solid 1-0 friendly match win over Ecuador on Sunday night.
A 40th minute strike from former United winger Angel Di Maria was enough to seal the victory as the Ecuadorians rarely threatened.
La Albiceleste had 11 shots on goal and restricted Ecuador to 0 on target and only five attempts overall.
The reigning World Champions also managed to dominate the ball with 65% possession in their favour.
Of most interest to United fans was the inclusion of Lisandro Martinez in the starting lineup and he came through the 90 minutes unscathed.
The popular defender has had a season from hell injury wise, restricting him to just 14 appearances all season. However he did start the FA Cup final last month and played a key part in the glorious victory for the Red Devils.
He had an impressive outing for his national team as he scored a rating of 7.5 on Sofascore as he dominated the Ecuadorian forward line.
As usual he was strong defensively, making two clearances, blocking one shot and making an interception as his side kept a clean sheet.
He won 100% of his ground duels and also his aerial battles as nothing got past him on the night.
Most impressive of all was how comfortable Martinez was on the ball. United fans are very familiar with how vital the defender is as the side’s build up and comfort on the ball often shows a huge drop-off when he is not in the side.
Martinez had an impressive 92 touches and made an outstanding 85 out of his 86 passes for a jaw-dropping 99% pass accuracy.
He played three long balls, all of which were successful, and only lost possession once in the entire game, showing off his supreme confidence on the ball.
The 26 year old even managed to have one shot on target and completed one dribble successfully.
The United defender will be delighted to get another 90 minutes in his legs before the start of the tournament and will hope that his wonderful display will keep him firmly in manager Lionel Scaloni’s thoughts before the tournament kicks off for the Argentines on Thursday 20th June against Canada.
Next up for Martinez is another friendly match against Guatemala this Friday. One man who will also be hoping to be involved is United’s young star, Alejandro Garnacho, who was an unused substitute against Ecuador.
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