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Argentina Star Beats Martinez To The Man Of The Match Prize After His Brilliant Display vs Ecuador

opera.com 3 days ago

Defending champion Argentina progressed to the Copa America semifinals after a dramatic 4-2 victory on penalties against Ecuador on Thursday night.

The match ended 1-1 in regulation time, with Ecuador equalizing in the dying moments of the game.

Argentina's Lionel Messi missed his first penalty kick, hitting the crossbar.

However, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez stepped up heroically, saving Ecuador's first two attempts in the shootout. Nicolas Otamendi secured the win by scoring the decisive penalty.

The Albiceleste took the lead in the 35th minute through Lisandro Martinez.

In the first minute of second-half injury time, Kevin Rodriguez found the net for Ecuador, pushing the game to penalties.

Ecuador had a chance to change the game earlier when Enner Valencia's penalty kick hit the post in the 62nd minute, following a handball by Rodrigo De Paul.

This victory propels Argentina into the semifinals for the fifth consecutive Copa America.

They will face either Venezuela or Canada on Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina are aiming for their 16th Copa America title, continuing a pursuit of their third major trophy in recent years.

After the completion of the match, Aston Villa Goalie, Emiliano Martinez was voted the man of the match after his fantastic performance against Ecuador.

He made crucial saves in the penalty shootout to help Argentina advance to the semifinals.

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