​KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ashley Landis is an AP photographer based in Houston, Texas. She has been with The Associated Press for the last six years of her 21-year career, focusing on sports, news, and features. During a recent match, Argentina’s Lautaro Martínez scored in overtime against Switzerland, and in a moment of pure celebration he vaulted over the LED boards to greet the fans. Since that kind of celebration isn’t a standard sight in every game, I stayed on Martínez as he moved toward the supporters. He ended up high-fiving several people in the front row before returning to celebrate with his teammates. That goal proved to be the decisive one in Argentina’s victory.
I photographed Martínez’s goal from across the field, following him with a 400mm f/2.8 lens as he reacted. I kept my focus point fixed on Martínez because he was surrounded by a multitude of teammates and spectators. His response to scoring was so powerful that his emotion came through clearly even from the far side of the pitch. Despite the sea of supporters and players all wearing similar colors in the frame, Martínez stands out due to his facial expression and peak emotion. The surrounding fans, with their arms raised in celebration, frame Martínez in a way that draws the viewer’s eye directly toward the bottom center of the image, emphasizing the moment he lived.
For more on AP’s World Cup coverage, see the rest of our reporting here, which offers a deeper look at the tournament through our photographer’s lens and reporting.