"He is indispensable" - Lionel Scaloni lavishes praise on Argentina star after 'difficult' Copa America quarter-final win vs Ecuador
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni heaped praise on Emiliano Martinez after the goalkeeper helped them win their Copa America quarter-final clash against Ecuador on Thursday, July 4. The shot-stopper was easily the best player at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, saving two penalties in the shootout after the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Although Lionel Messi missed the first penalty of the shootout, putting La Albiceleste in what seemed like dire straits, Martinez stood tall. He saved two consecutive penalties from Angel Mena and Alan Minda to keep Argentina ahead in the shootout. The defending champions eventually won 4-2 to progress to the semi-finals.
The goalkeeper's performance led to praise from Scaloni, who said afterward (via The Athletic):
"In the penalties, the team felt a blind trust in their goalkeeper. He is indispensable. When he saves penalties, it reverberates in the stadium."
Scaloni also praised Ecuador, hailing their efforts to stifle his side.
"We faced a very difficult team, very tough physically. We could have scored more goals in the first half. The second half was difficult, cut short... Our team is strong. At times they subdued us, but our team always reacts, regardless of whether we play well or badly," he stated.
Argentina will face the winner between Venezuela and Canada in the semi-finals of the Copa America 2024.
Argentina held down by Ecuador in Copa America 2024 quarter-final clash
Argentina started their quarter-final clash as the favorites, but it was not easy against Ecuador who were prepared to spoil the party. Lionel Messi struggled to sprinkle his magic on the field, but mostly failed, even missing his penalty in the shootout.
However, a moment of set-piece brilliance during the first half saw La Albiceleste get ahead in the match. After a corner swung towards Alexis Mac Allister, the Liverpool midfielder headed it to the back post for an unmarked Lisandro Martinez to score in the 35th minute.
Ecuador came back fighting, even getting awarded a penalty on the hour mark. Enner Valencia missed his effort, though, hitting the post. They did have several big chances late on, with Kevin Rodriguez scoring the eventual equalizer in injury time (90+1) to take the game to penalties.
The resulting penalty shootout saw Ecuador get knocked out of the Copa America, while Argentina continued their run towards defending their title.