Argentina beat Ecuador to reach the semi-finals of the Copa America. Lionel Messi failed in the penalty shootout that climaxed the match.
Matti Lehtisaari,
STT Sports
Argentina just beat Ecuador in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the South American Football Championship.
Champion favorite Argentina led the match for a long time Lizandro Martinez With a goal born in the 35th minute, but Ecuador’s Kevin Rodriguez managed to extend the decision to a penalty shootout in the last moments with his goal in the second minute of extra time.
Argentina’s star player who shot first in the penalty shootout Lionel Messi tried to calmly place the ball in the middle of the goal with a so-called panenka kick, when the Ecuadorian goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez guessed in the wrong direction. However, the 37-year-old football legend failed miserably in his attempt and raised the ball to the top bar.
Messi’s failure did not cost the reigning world champions dearly, as its goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez managed to fend off Ecuador’s first two toughs. Martinez led the Argentines to a 4–2 victory in the penalty shootout.
In the semifinals, Argentina will face the winner of the Venezuela-Canada match. The remaining quarter-finals are Uruguay-Brazil and Colombia-Panama.