Ecuador ‘almost’ got Argentina

To see a packed stadium in Houston, US for a ‘soccer’ game is quite a sight to behold. But then nobody likes to miss the chance of seeing Messi play in what is most likely his final Copa America! And the Houston crowd was rewarded with not just seeing the global superstar but also a pulsating match.

Argentina and Ecuador are no strangers. They square off frequently in qualifiers and international friendlies and are well aware of one another’s strengths and weaknesses. However, it was La Tri (The Tricolours) as the Ecuador team is called who used this knowledge to their best. 

Argentina started the game with their classic 4-4-2 formation with Julian Alvarez and Angel Di Maria on the bench while Ecuador began with an innovative 4-1-4-1 formation.

Electric Ecuador in the first quarter

The team was aware of the dangers of letting the defending Copa America champions find their pace and began their attack in the first five minutes. Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo had a game to remember. He commenced the attack with a direct shot at the Argentine goal, beating Lisandro Martinez in the air with a clever one-two pass from a throw-in.

In the 14th minute, Caicedo combined lethally with Jeremy Sarmiento who stormed through the Argentine defence to lodge another decent attempt at the opposition goal. Captain Enner Valencia who plays for Brazilian club Internacional provided a wonderful airball beating two Argentine centre backs resulting in another direct shot at goal by La Tri.

Argentina starts to play

It was surprising to see the defending champions being completely dominated for the first 25 minutes of the game. But with Molina finding Enzo Fernandez in the 26th minute, Argentina shifted gears to create their first direct attempt on goal.

Messi played a defence-splitting pass to Enzo Fernandez who found himself in an identical situation as Julian Alvarez during his second goal against Croatia in the semi-final clash of the 2022 World Cup, with the only difference being Fernandez’s shot getting blocked by the defender.

This however was the silence before the storm, as Lisandro Martinez found a free header from Messi’s corner in the 36th minute, leading to Argentina finding the first goal. It was a well-practiced set piece by the defending champions, as all Argentina strikers went towards the near post for the ball, clearing the way for Lisandro Martinez to comfortably head the ball in. Minutes later Nico Gonzolez’s heroic attempt at recovering the ball from Ecuador resulted in another Argentine attack before the half time, as Enzo Fernandez missed Lautaro Martinez by inches in the cross.

The match was far from ‘tranquilo’ as Latin tempers clashed with Rodrigo De Paul being fouled and a heavy argument breaking out with both sides surrounding the referee and the same repeating in the 50th minute again.

Ecuador regained their composure in the second half as midfielder Alan Franco’s header hit De Paul’s hand resulting in a penalty. Luckily for the La Albiceleste (Argentina football team) fans who were praying in the stands, Enner Valencia’s shot beat the keeper but hit the right side goalpost, saving Argentina’s early blushes.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup’s ‘Young Player of the Tournament’, Julian Alvarez had a decent attempt on goal in the 67th minute as he chested down the ball calmly from a high air pass by De Paul,  swiftly turning directions only hitting the shot straight at the keeper.

Ecuador was not done yet

Trailing by a goal with little time left, Ecuador made several substitutions to keep the Copa campaign alive and in the 90th minute, La Tri was finally rewarded as ‘super sub’ Kevin Rodriguez scored a deft header beating Emiliano Martinez to score the critical equaliser. 

The extra time presented Ecuador with another chance to knock Argentina from the Copa race but Caicedo was unable to put the header on goal in the 96th minute.

Pulsating Penalties

Messi Misses

Unbelievable pressure lies on the first penalty taker in a shootout and all through his career, Messi has bravely stepped up for the same. With many misses in the middle of his career, he completely re-invented his penalty style before the previous World Cup.

This time, however, the Inter Miami superstar tried something more innovative. With a clear plan in mind, the ‘GOAT’ did a panenka kick. A calm shot straight at the middle of the goal had only one problem; too much height, as the ball hit the bar and bounced on the roof of the net.

A few moments of disbelief surrounded the atmosphere but within that came a great moment of sportsmanship as Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Domingiez comforted La Pulga after the miss.

Martinez

As Ecuador fans rejoiced, they forgot Argentina had a trump card for such times. A player who believes in the phrase, “Cometh the moment! Cometh the man” penalty shootout expert goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Aston Villa star not only denied Ecuador’s first penalty but also saved the next one. With Argentina comfortably scoring the rest of the spot kicks, they booked their place in the semi-final of Copa 2024.

Argentina will now face Canada on 10 July at 5:30 am IST