Lionel Messi scored an amazing free-kick goal and pulled off two assists in the game as Argentina beat Ecuador 3-0 on Saturday to get through for the Copa America semi-finale match against Colombia.
Lionel Messi missed a golden chance in the first half, but he was the only one who later gave Argentina a deserved victory by his unique play against Ecuador.
What Did Messi Say After The Game?
It was the 76th goal for the Argentine, making it one of Pele’s South American records. “I’ve always said that individual prizes are secondary, we’re here for something else,” Messi said. “We have an objective and we’re focused on that.
“It was a hard match, we know how difficult an opponent they can be. The important thing is we’ve taken another step forward.”
Argentina were unbeaten in 17 games when they came to play against Ecuador.
Argentina-Ecuador Game
Martinez and Germany Pezzella approached close in the first 20 minutes, and Hernan Galindez was fluent in making good defenses from Nicolas Gonzalez. Even more surprisingly, Lionel Messi missed out on the best opportunity of the game when he went on a one-to-one, but he had the shot missed after touching the cross bar.
However, the diminutive striker made up for it five minutes before half-time when, with the Ecuadoran goalkeeper stranded after making a tackle outside the box, he fed De Paul, who stroked the ball into the net for his first international goal in 25 appearances.
Argentina Proceeds To Semi Finale
Messi then set up Martinez to finish clinically five minutes from the end, before stepping up himself to curl home a free kick in stoppage time, after Piero Hincapie hauled down Angel Di Maria and was shown a red card. (Courtesy: The Guardian)
The 3-0 result means Argentina will face Colombia, the team that beat Uruguay in a penalty shootout earlier in the day, and in the second semi-final of the Copa America on Tuesday.
