Argentina 1-1 (4-2 on penalties) Ecuador: Player Ratings as Albiceleste eclipsed Messi’s penalty miss in shootouts

Argentina reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa America after seeing off a study by Ecuador 4-2 on penalties. Lionel Messi had missed his attempt from the spot in the shootouts, but Angel Mena and Alan Minda missed their chances for the Tricolors.

The Albiceleste, the defending champions, went in front after 35 minutes through Lisandro Martinez, but Kevin Rodriguez equalized for Ecuador in the first added minute of extra-time by scoring a header beyond Emiliano Martinez and kept his side alive in the contest.

However, Lionel Scaloni’s world champions eventually triumphed 4-2 in the shootouts, and will face either Venezuela or Canada in the last-four on Tuesday. Here are the player ratings for both, Argentina and Ecuador:

Argentina National Football Team Player Ratings vs Ecuador

Goalkeeper

Emiliano Martinez – 7/10: A very comfortable evening for the Argentinian custodian; he was only needed for that penalty, although Valencia hit the post with it

Defenders

Nahuel Molina – 7.5/10: Played a key role in winning back possession and was a thorn in Ecuador’s flesh with his tough tackles

Cristian Romero – 7.5/10: Another stoic display in defense, timing his tackles to perfection, while also helping them build from the back

Lisandro Martinez – 9/10: Completed 100% of his passes, was solid in defense, and broke the deadlock for Argentina too; a spectacular all-round performance

Nicolas Tagliafico – 7/10: A revelation on the left flank with his attacking flair and flamboyance

Midfielders

Rodrigo De Paul – 7/10: Displayed his attacking brilliance, but only in bits and parts

Alexis Mac Allister – 8/10: Made plenty of recoveries and even assisted Martinez for the opener

Enzo Fernandez – 5/10: Misplaced many of his passes, was sloppy in possession, and lacked accuracy with his shots too

Nicolas Gonzalez – 5/10: Had a hard time competing for the ball with Ecuador’s midfielders and struggled to wrestle back control of the game

Forwards

Lionel Messi – 7/10: Starred in his creator’s role again but didn’t offer much direct threat; missed his penalty in the shootouts too

Lautaro Martinez – 6/10: An uncharacteristically poor game from the man who had struck thrice in three games for the side in the group stages

Substitutes

Julian Alvarez – 6.5/10: Couldn’t test Ecuador enough but converted his penalty in the shootouts

Nicolas Otamendi – 6.5/10: Was helpless for Ecuador’s leveler but scored in the shootouts

Giovani Lo Celso – 6/10: Struggled to get involved much

Manager

Lionel Scaloni – 7/10

Also Read: Colombia vs Panama Preview, Prediction, Lineups, and Team News | Copa America 2024 Quarter-finals

Ecuador National Football Team Player Ratings vs Argentina

Goalkeeper

Alexander Dominguez – 6/10: Couldn’t make a single save in the shootouts

Defenders

Angelo Preciado – 7/10: Gave Argentina a tough run for their money with his vital interventions

Felix Torres – 6.5/10: Offered a good amount of resistance in defense to frustrate Argentina’s stellar forwards

Willian Pacho – 6/10: Struggled to cope with the intensity at times but was otherwise decent

Piero Hincapie – 6/10: His passing wasn’t the best and was found out of position many times when Argentina came forward

Midfielders

Carlos Gruezo – 6/10: Couldn’t get involved much

Alan Franco – 4/10: A complete non-factor for the Tricolors

Forwards

Kendry Paez – 5.5/10: Offered no menace in the attack

Moises Caicedo – 8/10: Won eight ground duels and laid three key passes

Jeremy Sarmiento – 6/10: Misplaced a couple of passes and had just one shot on target in the game

Enner Valencia – 5/10: Went into the books in the opening stanza before missing a penalty in the second; horrible night for the Ecuadorian talisman

Substitutes

Alan Minda – 5/10: Saw his penalty attempt saved in the shootouts

Kevin Rodriguez – 8/10: Brought Ecuador level with a vital header in the dying moments

John Yeboah – 8/10: Assisted Rodriguez for the equalizer with a terrific cross and then converted his penalty in the shootouts to keep his side in the game

Angel Mena – 5/10: His penalty was saved too by Martinez in the shootouts

Jordy Caicedo – 6/10: Scored for Ecuador in the fourth attempt during the shootouts but it wasn’t enough

Manager

Felix Sanchez – 6/10

Also Read: Moises Caicedo suffers a harsh knock in the game against Argentina