Striker Lionel Messi grinned warmly as he congratulated and thanked Emilano Martinez after saving two penalties to help Argentina defeat Ecuador in the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals.
Emilano Martinez collapsed on the field in delight after Nicolas Otamendi scored Argentina’s fifth penalty kick in the penalty shootout, securing a 4-2 victory. At the same time, Messi dashed down from the center of the field to thank his friend.
The captain striker hugged Martinez and smiled, relieved. “He was always present and shone at the moments when we needed him most. Even when the team’s confidence was down during the penalty shootout, he always comforted and soothed us. Martinez is always like that,” Messi said in a brief interview following the game.
Previously, due to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, and in accordance with Copa America 2024 rules, the two teams did not play extra time and instead decided the winner via penalty shootout. Messi clenched his hands and gazed up at the sky, as if praying, as the referee flipped a coin to determine Argentina’s kickoff in the tiebreaker.
Argentina’s captain striker gripped the ball to take the first shot. This is the 13th time Messi has been given this onerous task whenever the home team needs to determine a winner or loser via penalty shootout.
Messi performed a panelka kick against Alexander Domínguez at 11m. The Ecuadorian goalkeeper guessed incorrectly when he leaned over to his left hand, but Messi’s ball went gently and found the crossbar before bouncing out.
Messi hung his head in regret after missing a kick. According to Transfermarkt, this is only the 32nd occasion he has failed to make an 11-meter kick since the start of his professional career. The previous time he missed this kick, Argentina defeated Poland 2-0 in the World Cup group stage on November 30, 2022. In the 39th minute, Messi was blocked by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.
Messi returned to the center circle, but stood apart from his teammates as they all nervously looked toward the goal, waiting for the opponent’s first kick.
Facing Enner Valencia from the 11m mark, Emiliano Martinez leaned in the right direction and blocked the Ecuador captain’s kick. This goalkeeper shouted excitedly when teammate Lisandro Martinez ran to congratulate him.
On the way back to his position waiting to catch the second kick, Martinez pointed at Messi in the middle of the field, reassuring the captain. In response, Messi also raised his hand high as if to thank his teammate goalkeeper.
Martinez once again guessed well, blocking Alan Minda’s kick from Ecuador’s side. These two successful stops by the goalie wearing shirt number 23 helped Argentina win 4-2 in the tie-breaker series, when all four surviving teammates – Julian Alvarez, Alexis MacAllister, and Gonzalo Montiel – were eliminated. Otamendi – both succesfully kicked.
Messi has not yet scored at the Copa America 2024. He played the entire opening match and contributed an assist as Argentina defeated Canada 2-0. Messi experienced hamstring troubles in the second encounter, injured his right thigh, limped several times, and had to have a doctor massage him in the first half, but he still played the entire game. He retired from the group stage’s last match and was only declared physically fit by the Argentine medical team after the final training session on July 4 to face Ecuador.
However, when Messi entered the game, he did not add much to the team’s performance. The Ecuadorian player also booted forcefully, severely limiting Argeninta’s captain’s operational space. The snapshot shows Messi (left) holding his thigh and rolling about after being fouled by Ecuador.
In the whole match, he only touched the ball 32 times. According to Opta, this is Messi’s worst statistics in a match with Argentina in official tournaments (qualifiers, World Cup finals, and Copa America) in which he played the full 90 minutes since the 2011 Copa America.
Messi did not dribble past him once, created only one scoring opportunity for his teammates, and once failed to score despite the advantageous circumstances. The 37-year-old superstar also lost three of five duels before missing the home team’s first penalty shot.
Messi, on the other hand, continues to be happy because of his teammates, particularly the outstanding goalkeeper Martinez. He stripped shirtless and joined his comrades in a circle to celebrate their victory. On July 9, Messi and Argentina will face the winner of Canada and Venezuela’s quarterfinal match.
