Argentina’s national soccer team has secured a spot in the semifinals of the 2024 Copa America tournament after a nail-biting quarterfinal match against Ecuador.
The game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes of play, with Argentina eventually winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
Lisandro Martinez scored for Argentina in the first half, while Kevin Rodriguez equalized for Ecuador in stoppage time. The match proceeded to a penalty shootout, where Argentine captain Lionel Messi surprisingly missed his kick. However, goalkeeper Emi Martinez made two crucial saves to ensure Argentina’s victory.
“A lot of anger, a lot of anger,” Messi said of his penalty miss. “I just wanted to touch it and it went high.”
Despite Messi’s miss, Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni expressed confidence in his team’s abilities. “The team feels blind confidence in their goalkeeper, and for us, it is fundamental. Even if Leo failed, the team knew that something positive was going to happen,” Scaloni said.
Argentina will face the winner of the Venezuela-Canada match in the semifinals on July 9.
