Classic Cristian Romero as heroic status can't cloud what Tottenham fans already know
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero was the hero for Argentina in their dramatic 3-2 World Cup win over Cape Verde.
The centre-back's header deflected in off Diney Borges in the 11th minute of extra time in Friday night's contest.
Romero had earlier seen Sidny Cabral cancel out Lisandro Martinez's goal in a dramatic extra period.
That came after Lionel Messi and Deroy Duarte scored a goal apiece in normal time, which finished 1-1 in Miami.
The big talking point was the effort put in by minnows Cape Verde in almost pulling off arguably the World Cup's greatest ever shock.
Yet it is Romero who comes away with hero status in his homeland for effectively scoring the winner - even if that papers over the cracks.
Cristian Romero brushes struggles under the carpet vs Cape Verde
The stats make for positive enough reading as far as Romero's performance against
He had 129 touches of the ball, which only Lisandro Martinez (130) and Enzo Fernandez (132) could better.
The 96 per cent pass accuracy he finished with, meanwhile, was the best of the lot.
Romero also won four our of his six ground duels and two out of three aerial duels.
That is on top of three interceptions and four recoveries against a Cape Verde side that gave as good as they got.
However, Romero saw his side concede twice to a side that were not expected to lay a glove on them.
In many ways, this is something Tottenham fans have become quite accustomed to.
The stats paint a positive picture for Romero, whose stature remains high despite a couple of dreadful campaigns for Spurs.
Romero is wanted by Atletico Madrid and other teams, with the centre-back having the ability to come out smelling of roses each time.
How did media react to Romero display vs Cape Verde?
James McFadden, covering the game in the UK for BBC Sport, described Romero's header in the build-up to the winner as "lovely".
TYC Sports, meanwhile, gave Romero a seven out of 10 and wrote: "When it mattered most, he rose to the occasion with the brilliance of a champion."
Again, despite shipping twice to Cape Verde in what was an underwhelming Argentina display, Romero earns strong praise.
This is not to go in on the 28-year-old too hard. After all, he did produce a few standout moments for Spurs last season.
Amid all the ongoing exit talk, however, Spurs fans are surely now far more accepting of the fact Romero will be playing elsewhere next season.
With Roberto De Zerbi rebuilding the squad in his own look, there is no reason why a better option cannot be found.