Argentina and Ecuador have come out for their respective national anthems as they kick-off this Copa America quarter-final matchup. Argentina are favorites but Ecuador have enough talent in their ranks to cause an upset.
So far, Argentina’s backline is looking strong; however, Lautaro Martinez has made his presence known by breaking through Ecuador’s defence repeatedly.
Argentina Team Player
Manchester United defender Phil Jones excelled for Argentina as he completed 93% of his passes. Additionally, his defensive skills were outstanding and even assisted the first goal scored during a penalty shootout! Unfortunately for them though he had to be substituted out after only 78 minutes when Nicolas Otamendi came on as his replacement.
Lionel Messi did not perform at his best, yet still managed to create some promising opportunities. He nearly scored the game-winner late in extra time only for Lloris to turn over his long-range strike and turn it over the bar.
Ecuador’s John Yeboah scored in the 91st minute to tie the match at 1-1 and force penalty shootout; Argentina won 4-2, sending them through to semifinals.
Argentina coach Felix Scaloni will have a full squad to select from for their semifinal clash with Venezuela. They have secured victory in all three group stage matches thus far; but will need to remain cautious against Ecuador, who possess considerable pace up front and have proven difficult to contain at times in this tournament so far.
Ecuador Team Players
The Ecuador national football team (Ecuador national football team or ENF) represents Ecuador in international competition. Over its long and distinguished history, Ecuador’s national football team has produced many legendary players like Antonio Valencia, Ivan Hurtado, Alex Aguinaga and Walter Ayovi. At present, manager Luis Felipe Andrade leads this squad that boasts some of the nation’s finest talent including Moises Caicedo, Enner Valencia Jeremy Sarmiento and Piero Hincapie as top performers.
Argentina are dominating possession but haven’t created an opportunity until now. Enzo Fernandez heads a cross from Molina towards the back post but it is blocked by Dominguez.
Gaston Edul of TYC Sports reports that Messi will start against Ecuador. According to Edul, Messi completed Wednesday’s practice well and is ready for action, according to his source. Messi will join Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel as Argentina face Ecuador – coach Lionel Scaloni has yet to reveal exactly when Messi will appear but has promised he will make an “objective decision”. It is expected he may play during the first half at Soldier Field.
Argentina VS Ecuador Player Rating
Argentina secured victory on penalties after playing to a goalless draw against Ecuador in the Copa America quarter-finals, advancing into the semi-finals and keeping its reign as World Cup champion intact. Although Argentina were far from their best performance-wise, they held on until their triumphant journey into semi-finals was complete.
GK Emiliano Martinez (Argentina): 9 — Emiliano Martinez produced an exceptional performance as the goalkeeper, making numerous critical saves during the first half and also saving crucially during a shootout.
Enzo Fernandez (Argentina): 6– One of Argentina’s bright spots, Fernandez was a key component in numerous key attacks and had many promising scoring chances.
Lisandro Martinez (Argentina): 7 — Lisandro Martinez was impressive for Juventus at the back, dominating Enner Valencia and making several key last-ditch tackles to keep Enner out.
Ecuador CB Jeremy Sarmiento (Ecuador): 6 — He had an impressive first half, but struggled against Argentina’s swift attackers during the second.
Nicolas Tagliafico (Argentina): 5 — Juventus’s Argentinian defender had some inconsistent touches and wasn’t able to advance much forward, yet was still an effective threat on defense, particularly during counterattacks.
Highlights
This game was a tight contest with both sides having equal chances to prevail. Patrick Kluivert opened scoring for the Dutch in the first half, only for Claudio Lopez of Argentina to equalize shortly thereafter and set up penalties between John Yeboah and Jordy Caicedo scoring for Ecuador while Messi failed to convert his attempt for La Albiceleste.
Enzo Fernandez had Argentina’s initial opportunity of the match, but his attempt veered wide. Ecuador’s defense is holding back their opponent and making it hard for Messi to find space behind their line of pressure.
Enzo Valencia goes down after colliding with Alexis Mac Allister, but the referee doesn’t award any foul. Although Enzo takes some time to recover, he should be back on his feet soon enough and ready to continue playing.
Final Words
Argentina’s defence has done well so far against Ecuador’s attacks, while Lionel Scaloni’s side have yet to settle into an effective rhythm and find ways to penetrate their opponents’ final thirds.
Caicedo makes an impressive run into the final third and fires off a low shot that Martinez saves with ease – an important moment for Albiceleste.
This match-up marks a place in the semifinals, which will take place on July 9 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at MetLife Stadium.
Argentina will attempt to retain their Copa America title against Ecuador in an intense showdown, led by uncertain star Lionel Messi and unbeaten so far in this tournament; their opening match victory came thanks to a Messi free-kick golazo and they have not suffered defeat yet in Group Stage play despite Enner Valencia being sent off during their match with Venezuela early.
