After Argentina’s triumphant victory, Lionel Messi and his son Mateo shared an adorable moment that melted hearts everywhere. Their joyous interaction highlights the importance of family amidst the celebrations. Moments like these remind us of the love and laughter that fuel greatness.
Argentina had a very difficult match against Ecuador. Messi and his teammates took the lead in the first half when Lisandro Martinez shined.
But in the second half, Ecuador did not lose their spirit, even though they missed a penalty. Then, in the first minute of extra time in the second half, Ecuador equalized 1-1.
Going into the penalty shootout, Argentina had a hard time right from the first kick when Messi failed to hit the crossbar. “El Pulga” looked distraught afterwards. But the “Albicelestes” penalty specialist, goalkeeper Martinez, shone with 2 saves, contributing greatly to Argentina’s 4-2 win.
Messi’s sadness after missing a penalty kick
Apart from missing a penalty, Messi did not leave much of an impression in this match. It seems that not being in the best physical condition prevented the striker, born in 1987, from playing explosively against Ecuador.
However, that is no longer a problem because Argentina still has a ticket to the next round. On this day, Messi also set a record by becoming the player with the most minutes played in Copa America history .
As for “spider-man” Martinez, he marked his ninth penalty save for Argentina after 24 times facing him. It can be seen that Martinez’s success rate is very high. Ecuadorian players understand how prestigious this goalkeeper is at 11 meters, so they are probably psychologically affected.
Messi is wrong but Martinez corrects him
Moving on to the fourth round, Argentina will face the winner of the match between Venezuela and Canada.