Argentina and Ecuador played a thrilling match in the quarter-finals of the Copa America, which was tied 1-1 in regulation time and had to go to penalties, with Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez making two saves to secure a 4-2 win over Ecuador to reach the semi-finals.
This match is really heart-pounding, and the matchup between Argentina and Ecuador was originally expected to be a solid victory, but it turned out to make everyone tremble.
At the start of the game, Argentina dominated possession for most of the game, and Ecuador's Jeremy Sarmiento fired a shot that almost stopped the hearts of Argentine fans. Thankfully, Martinez made a timely save to the relief of the fans. By the 35th minute, the Argentine team finally opened. Alexis McAllister sent in a header and Lisandro Martinez scored with a pinpoint header to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
Thinking that Argentina could easily pass, Ecuador began to fight back in the second half. In the 60th minute, Ecuador won a corner kick and Argentina's Rodrigo de Paul was fouled for handball, and the referee did not hesitate to award a penalty. Ecuador's captain, Enner Valencia, stood at the penalty spot and held his breath before his shot hit the post and the ball bounced out. Ecuador's rebound ball was also blocked by Cristian Romero, and the attack went to naught.
Just when Argentine fans thought they could celebrate, the game went into stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Ecuador's John Yeboa crossed and Kevin Rodriguez headed in to make it 1-1. In an instant, the whole audience was stunned, and the game had to go to a penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Messi was the first to play, and his kick actually hit the crossbar, and the hearts of Argentine fans were once again raised to their throats. Ecuador's Angel Mena was close behind, and his shot was miraculously saved by Martinez as Argentina pulled one back. Argentina's other goalscorers were then solid, hitting one by one, before Martinez made another contribution to save Alan Minda's penalty. In the end, Nicolás Otamendi scored the decisive goal and Argentina won 4-2, and the crowd cheered.
In this game, the goalkeeper of the Argentine team, Martinez, was the biggest contributor. Not only did he defuse the crisis many times in regulation time, but he also made two saves in the penalty shoot-out and became the hero of the team's promotion.
After the game, Martinez was the center of attention, and his name was chanted by the fans as if he were a superhero. Messi also lived up to the expectations of the fans. Despite the injury, he continued to play, and also broke the record for the longest playing time in the history of the Copa America, which is truly legendary.
Next, Argentina will face either Venezuela or Canada, both of which are slightly weaker. With the experience of this match, the morale of the Argentine team is high, and the fans are looking forward to their continued performance in the upcoming games.
Argentina's performance in this match showed their quality, showing team spirit and tenacious fighting attitude. Every player was doing their best to win, and Martinez's courageous play ignited the enthusiasm of the whole stadium. This victory belongs to the Argentine team and to all the fans who support them.