The first match of the Copa America quarterfinals was played today, the defending champion Argentina played against Ecuador, ranked 30th in the world, Lima scored, Valencia lost a point, Rodriguez equalized in stoppage time, Messi missed the penalty shootout, Martin saved the penalty twice, and finally the game was over, Argentina defeated Ecuador 4:2 on penalties and 5:3 on aggregate, and took the lead in advancing to the semifinals of the Copa America, and their semi-final opponents were the winners of Venezuela and Canada.
Argentina belongs to the group stage to play promotion, three consecutive wins, scored 5 goals and conceded 0 goals, advanced to the first place in Group A, Ecuador won 1 win, drew 1 loss and lost 3 goals, scored 4 goals and conceded 3 goals, and advanced to the second place in Group B, with a historical record, Argentina 24 wins, 11 draws and 5 losses occupy an absolute advantage, and Argentina has 6 wins and 1 draw in the last 7 games to remain undefeated.
In the first half of the game, although the Ecuador team did not have the advantage of possession, but the counterattack was really sharp, and the first to complete a few shots, Caicedo burst into the penalty area with the ball, a shot was saved by Martinez, and Pais's long-range shot on the line of the penalty area was high. The Argentine team had 0 shots in the first half hour, and the Copa America was tied in 90 minutes, but it was a direct penalty shootout.
In the 34th minute, Messi took a corner kick, McAllister nodded the ball in front of the ferry, and Lima headed in the face of an empty goal at the back point, Argentina scored 1:0 with the first shot on target.
In the second half, in the 62nd minute, De Paul sent a handball in the penalty area, Valencia took the penalty, and a push shot popped up at the neutral post, and Ecuador wasted a good opportunity to equalize. Lautaro was then replaced by Alvarez, ending a run of three consecutive goals.
Messi's shot in the penalty area was too positive, and was easily confiscated by the goalkeeper, Messi played very easily in this game, it was completely a healthy style of play, the two teams fought fiercely on the field, and there were often confrontations between people on their backs. In the 90+1 minute, Ecuador sent a free kick quickly, Caicedo picked up a pass, Zamora got the ball and cut the cross, Rodriguez flew to the header and scored, Ecuador equalized 1:1. The two sides drew 1-1 and went straight to the penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Messi was the first to take the penalty and hit the crossbar with a spoon penalty, but then Martinez saved Ecuador's penalty and saved Messi. Then Alvarez scored, Martinez saved Ecuador's penalty, McAllister scored third, Yeboya also scored, Montiel scored fourth, Caicedo also scored, and in the fifth round, Otamendi scored, and the game ended, Argentina beat Ecuador 4-2 on penalties.