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
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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