#头条首发大赛#
In the upcoming Copa America quarterfinals, Argentina will face Ecuador.
This match attracted much attention, not only because of the strength of the two teams, but also because of the participation of Argentine star Lionel Messi.
Argentina showed great quality in the group stage, winning all of them without conceding a goal.
Although Messi has missed some games due to injury, he has been involved in joint training and is in good form.
The two teams have played each other many times in their history, with Argentina having a clear advantage.
In the last Copa America, Argentina beat Ecuador 3-0. In addition, Argentina also beat Ecuador 4-0 in other official competitions, such as the World Preliminary Championships.
As for the result of this match, if Argentina can beat Ecuador 1-0, they will be able to advance to the last four.
However, the game is always full of uncertainties, and Argentina will need to prevent being held to a draw in regulation time and thus go to penalties.
As the core player of the team, Messi can break the Copa America record every time he plays.
If he scores and assists in this game, he will have a chance to break the top five records.
Argentina's group stage was flawless, winning all three of their matches without conceding a single goal.
Such performances are extremely rare in the group stage.
Argentina defended solidly and showed plenty of firepower in attack.
Although Messi did not play much time in the group stage, his presence undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on opponents.
His return has also given Argentina a further boost in attack.
In contrast, Ecuador performed slightly worse in the group stage.
Although they also managed to qualify, they were often underdogs in the encounters with Argentina.
The two teams have played each other many times in history, with Argentina almost always able to gain the upper hand.
Especially in the last Copa America, Argentina defeated Ecuador 3-0.
Therefore, judging from the historical record, it seems that Argentina has a better chance of winning in this quarter-final.
The beauty of the game of football lies in its uncertainty.
Even if the Argentine team is stronger on paper, they can't take it lightly.
Ecuador have the ability to cause surprises and they are likely to adopt a more aggressive strategy against Argentina.
Therefore, Argentina need to be well prepared to prevent the risk of being held to a draw in regulation time and thus going to penalties.
Messi is undoubtedly one of the biggest attractions of this game.
Every time he plays, he breaks the Copa America record.
He has now become one of the most capped players in Copa America history.
If he scores and assists in this game, he will have the opportunity to break the top five records: Copa America all-time top scorer, Copa America all-time most assists, Copa America all-time most goals scored (goals + assists), Copa America all-time most appearances, and Copa America all-time most wins.
These records are a huge affirmation of Messi's career.
For the fans, this match is undoubtedly full of anticipation and excitement.
Whether it's Argentina or Ecuador, they'll all have their best to win.
And for Messi, this game is another challenge of his personal honor.
Whatever the outcome, it's going to be a great game.
Let's look forward to the arrival of this Copa America 1/4 final!