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Adam Booker·5 juillet 2024
đ Argentina sneak past Ecuador after penalties and move on to semi-final
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Adam Booker·5 juillet 2024
Argentina required penalties but they found a way past Ecuador to book their passage to the Copa América semi-finals.
Scorers: MartĂnez 35âČ ; RodrĂguez 90+2âČ
It was a grind for both sides early on as the bulk of the play was stuck in midfield, a pattern weâve seen through much of the tournament this summer.
Argentina finally came to life after dodging a bullet when Jeremy Sarmiento missed a chance from close-range, and just 10 minutes later Lisandro MartĂnez headed home from a free-kick for his first international goal and the lead.
Ecuador appeared to fashion their chance to pull level when a shot ricocheted off of Rodrigo De Paulâs hand in the box, forcing the referee to award a penalty.
Ecuador legend Enner Valencia stepped up, but the striker sent his spot-kick off the post to spare the Argentine blushes.
While it looked like the world champions would hold on and book their qualification to the semi-finals, drama struck in stoppage-time when Kevin RodrĂguez headed home a cross to pull level and send the game to penalties.
After Leo Messi missed the opener, Emiliano MartĂnez stepped up to make a bundle of saves before NicolĂĄs Otamendi buried the winner into the bottom corner.
Argentina will now await the winner of Canada and Venezuela.