LIONEL MESSI'S difficult Copa America continued last night as he fluffed a panenka penalty against Ecuador. Messi, 37, has been nursing a thigh complaint throughout the tournament which forced him to miss Argentina 's final group stage game against Peru . The injury has stopped him being at his fluent best and he endured another tough game against Ecuador in the quarter-final.
Argentina led for most of the game after Manchester United 's Lisandro Martinez opened the scoring in the 35th minute. But a late Kevin Rodriguez goal for Ecuador ensured the game went to penalties after 90 minutes. Up first for the Argentinians was their captain Messi, who attempted a panenka which struck the cross bar.
Despite his miss, Ecuador were unable to make good on their advantage, and went on to lose the shoot-out 4-2. Aston Villa 's Emi Martinez was the hero of the game, with the keeper saving Ecuador's first two spot-kicks. He has a remarkable record of saving from the spot for Argentina, saving 12 of the 24 penalties he has faced for his country.
Messi, like Cristiano Ronaldo , has managed one assist so far in their respective international tournaments. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS Both have looked their age to some extent with their team-mates stepping up to get them through their knockout fixtures. In response to Messi's attempted panenka, one fan on X wrote: "It's simply not Lionel Messi 's tournament so far.
He arrived with discomfort and he played this game again with di.