Copa America 2024: Messi Misses Penalty, Argentina Beats Ecuador In Penalty Shootout
Argentina, the FIFA World Cup champions reached the semi-finals of Copa America. The 1-1 win over Ecuador ended with penalty kicks. Though the defending Copa America Champions showcased a marvelous game in the group stage, they had to endure plenty of stress against Ecuador.
Lionel Messi missed Argentina’s opener but penalty king Emiliano Martinez saved the team stopping their rival Ecuador twice and taking his team under his wings to the last four.
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A Lisandro Martinez header had put Argentina ahead 1-0 just before half time, however, Kevin Rodriguez headed in a stoppage-time leveler for Ecuador.
Lionel Messi returned to the game after an upper leg injury that had kept him out of the final group game against Peru and provided a corner kick which paved the way for their first goal. The Argentinian captain broke the record for most minutes played in the tournament’s history.
Ecuador has done a pretty good job by keeping Messi away from the penalty box. Though he had missed out on the group finale, he did not look limited physically at all as he had 11 touches in the game just after half an hour of the match.
A small space is all that is needed for La Pulga to create magic on the ground. In the 34th minute of the match, a beautiful shot came from Messi’s boots to Enzo Fernandez, the Chelsea man. Unfortunately, the strong defense of Ecuador did not let it pass through and it ended as a corner.
There was a shock when Messi missed the spot kick of the shootout. However, the Argentinian goalkeeper had the last laugh, making two crucial saves in the shootout before Nicolas Otamendi scored a decisive penalty to book a semifinal spot.
In a reflection of how close Argentina came to being eliminated from Copa America, Scaloni added, “This time I didn’t enjoy anything. We’re happy, of course, but I didn’t have a good time this time”.
Argentina will next play against either Venezuela or Canada on Tuesday.
