Lionel Messi blushes after Panenka penalty as Emi Martinez shows heroics

Argentina beat Ecuador on penalties at the Copa America, despite Lionel Messi's panenka backfiring. Back from injury, it was the all-time great who scored his country's first goal after the quarter-final match against Ecuador ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.

But as he calmly attempted to centre his shot down the middle, Messi saw his shot bounce back off the bar.

But Emiliano Martinez was spared that situation, the keeper proving once again to be a hero as he saved shots from Angel Mena and Alan Minda to earn his side a 4-2 win on penalties.

Largely supported by the pro-Argentine crowd at the NRG Stadium (69,456 spectators), the Albiceleste opened the scoring in the 35th minute thanks to Lisandro Martinez. This goal came from a corner by Messi, before the Ecuadorian Enner Valencia converted a penalty on the post after the break.

But Kevin Rodriguez equalised in added time to force extra time on 30 minutes. And despite Messi's blunder, Martinez repeated his exploits from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and accompanied his saves with his usual theatricality.

He dove to his left to thwart Mena and managed to push the ball away with his back hand. And after throwing himself to his right to thwart Minda, he performed a celebratory dance for the crowd.

“I wasn't ready to go home,” the 31-year-old said. “This team deserved to qualify. They made it very difficult for us. They played a great game, very physical. We knew they were one of the main rivals in the Copa America.”

Argentina, seeking a 16th consecutive Copa America title, will face either Venezuela or Canada in the semifinals in East Rutherford next Tuesday. On the other side of the bracket, the winners of Colombia and Panama will face either Brazil or Uruguay.

In the same week that his great rival Ronaldo endured a nightmare against Slovenia at Euro 2024, Messi failed to score for the third consecutive game in the United States. But his performance was defended by coach Lionel Scaloni.

“I think he finished the game well,” Scaloni said, when asked if his key player had struggled upon his return. “We asked him how he felt one last time, four minutes before the end.”

Argentina are aiming for a third consecutive international title. They won the 2021 Copa America in Brazil before triumphing at the World Cup in Qatar the following year.