Him again. He had disgusted France in the 2022 World Cup final and Lille this season in the Europa Conference League. This time, Emiliano Martinez extinguished Ecuador’s hopes. The Argentinian goalkeeper repelled two attempts during the penalty shootout of the Copa America quarter-finals this Thursday (1-1, 4-2). His team qualified for the last four.
Argentina worked hard in this match and were held back for a long time by a courageous Ecuadorian team. During the penalty shootout, their captain Lionel Messi even missed his attempt, with a panenka on the bar. He was the first shooter. It was finally defender Nicolás Otamendi who scored the decisive penalty and propelled the Albiceleste into the semi-finals.
Ecuador had its chance
The Argentines were the first to strike in regulation time. Lisandro Martinez opened the scoring in the 35th minute, after a corner taken by Messi and headed in by Alexis Mac Allister. But Ecuador equalized in the 91st minute thanks to Kevin Rodriguez, also with a header.
The Ecuadorians, sharper throughout the match, could have reached the semi-finals, something they haven’t done since 1993. But the team’s star, Ener Valencia, hit the post with a penalty in the 59th minute. At the very end of the match, they had one last opportunity, through Jordy Caicedo, in the 95th minute. The striker ultimately missed the target.
With no extra time in this Copa America before the final, both teams went straight to penalties. After Lionel Messi’s miss, the heroic Emiliano Martinez kept out shots from Angel Mena and Alan Minda in quick succession, while Julian Alvarez for Argentina and Alexis Mac Allister saved their attempts.
