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Copa America: Argentina advanced to semi-final despite Messi missed penalty

Emiliano Martinez came to the rescue again as Argentina advanced to the Copa America 2024 semi-final after a shootout in which Lionel Messi missed the first kick.

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Lisando Martinez’s opener for the titleholder seemed to set the tone, but Kevin Rodriguez’s late equalizer turned the tide, leading to a shootout as Copa America decided to stop extra time.

Messi missed his Panenka-style, but Emiliano pulled a heroic performance with two saves as Nicolas Otamendi scored the decisive kick to put La Albiceleste into the semi.

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Argentina 1-1 (4-2 pen) – Copa America Highlights

Argentina did not have many significant chances against a solid Ecuador, which opted for a physical style of play against a star-studded squad managed by Lionel Scaloni.

The game was tight until the half-hour mark when Messi made his mark with a corner kick that led to Lisandro’s close-range header to break the deadlock. Mac Allister touched Messi’s corner kick before the Man United defender Lisandro converted the chance perfectly.

Ecuador’s Enner Valencia missed a golden opportunity to tie the match. Still, his poor form led to his penalty kick ricocheting off the left post in the 62nd minute.

Messi missed a right boot in the second half, which was his only shot of the match. He remains scoreless during this Copa America but has an assist in Argentina’s first match. He also became the Copa America record holder for most minutes played in the tournament during the game.

Messi played the entire match, returning from a right groin/adductor injury he suffered on June 25 in a 1-0 win against Chile. This injury caused him to miss a 2-0 win over Peru last Saturday. There were times when the Houston fans could see Messi showing a painful reaction because of his injury.

Both teams had more fouls than shot attempts, and the shots on goal were even lower – two for both sides.

When Argentina fans thought they could celebrate the victory, Ecuador surprisingly equalized late in the injury time.

Ecuador’s Kevin Rodríguez connected with a header in the lower left corner in stoppage time to shock Argentina and tie the match at 1 in the 91st minute.

Argentina vs. Ecuador penalty shootout results

Lionel Messi and Ángel Mena missed in the first round. Nil-nil.

Julian Alvarez scored for Argentina, but Alan Minda was denied in the second. Argentina 1-0.

Alexis Mac Allister scores for Argentina, and John Yeboah scores for Ecuador. Argentina 2-1.

Gonzalo Montiel scores for Argentina, and Jordy Caicedo scores for Ecuador. Argentina 3-2.

Nicolás Otamendi wins it 4-2 on penalty kicks for Argentina to advance to the semifinals.