Argentina required penalties but they found a way past to book their passage to the semi-finals. MartiĢnez 35ā² ; RodriĢguez 90+2ā² It was a grind for both sides early on as the bulk of the play was stuck in midfield, a pattern weāve seen through much of the tournament this summer. Argentina finally came to life after dodging a bullet when Jeremy Sarmiento missed a chance from close-range, and just 10 minutes later Lisandro MartiĢnez headed home from a free-kick for his first international goal and the lead.
Ecuador appeared to fashion their chance to pull level when a shot ricocheted off of Rodrigo De Paulās hand in the box, forcing the referee to award a penalty. Ecuador legend Enner Valencia stepped up, but the striker sent his spot-kick off the post to spare the Argentine blushes. While it looked like the world champions would hold on and book their qualification to the semi-finals, drama struck in stoppage-time when Kevin RodriĢguez headed home a cross to pull level and send the game to penalties.
After Leo Messi missed the opener, Emiliano MartiĢnez stepped up to make a bundle of saves before NicolaĢs Otamendi buried the winner into the bottom corner. Argentina will now await the winner of Canada and Venezuela..
