Inter striker Lautaro Martinez feels that the Argentine national team’s penalty shootout win over the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals was fully deserved.

Speaking to Argentine news outlet Gol Mundial after the match, via FCInterNews, the 25-year-old stressed that in his view the Albiceleste were the stronger team in the match and that they were a bit unfortunate to go to penalties in the first place.

Argentina may well have thought that they were cruising through to the semifinals in Qatar with a 2-0 buffer in the closing stages of their match against the Netherlands.

Instead, a late onslaught from the Dutch resulted in two goals, forcing extra time.

Neither side was able to find the back of the net during extra time as the match became increasingly scrappy and fragmented, although the Albiceleste did force a couple of very good saves from Netherlands keeper Andries Noppert.

“I think we had a bit of fortune, but in truth we didn’t deserve to have gone to penalties in the first place,” Martinez said after the shootout, in which he scored the decisive penalty.

“We were the better team over ninety minutes.”

The Nerazzurri striker noted that “We showed great character, and above all that we have a formidable goalkeeper.”