Argentina eased past into the semifinals of Copa America 2021 with a comfortable 3-0 win over Ecuador. Rodrigo de Paul, Lautaro Martinez and Lionel Messi were the goalscorers for La Albiceleste.
Messi scored his second direct free-kick goal and his fourth goal overall. And he is currently the top scorer in the South American tournament. With the win, Argentina are unbeaten for 18 consecutive matches and is just two matches away from their 15th Copa America title!
Argentina 3-0 Ecuador : Team News
Lionel Scaloni once again fielded his preferred 4-3-3 formation. However, he made eight changes to the starting 11.
Similarly, Ecuador fielded a 4-3-3 formation and made just two changes in the starting lineup since the 1-1 draw against Brazil.
Argentina 3-0 Ecuador : Analysis
Ecuador had a slight edge over Argentina in terms of possession (54%) but were too unlucky against Emiliano Martinez. Additionally, La Tri lost many golden opportunities in the form of free headers in the initial stages of the match. Skipper Enner Valencia missed a superb chance in the early stages but headed it well wide of the post.
In comparison, Argentina also were missing early opportunities but finally, they broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. The opponent defence stumbled and Lionel Messi expertly passed it to de Paul, who made no mistake in converting the opportunity to a goal.
The Argentines wasted many opportunities further in the second half. But, they extended their lead even further as once again Messi took advantage of a poor defensive display from the opponents. Lautaro Martinez scored an easy goal past Ecuador goalie Hernan Galindez in the 83rd minute.
Five minutes later, Piero Hincapie fouled Angel di Maria just outside the penalty box and Argentina got themselves a dangerous free kick. Later, everyone knew what was coming – yet another masterpiece from skipper Messi!
Notable Performances
Lionel Messi (8/10) – The skipper was yet again the most valuable player for Argentina. Thanks to him, Lautaro has now two goals to his name. Will he finally win Copa America this time around?
Angel di Maria (7/10) – An inspired substitution and was the turning point in the fixture. His inclusion made his team look more deadly.
Enner Valencia (5.5/10) – Ecuador needed goals after getting behind and Valencia could have provided them. But alas, it was an unlucky match for the skipper.
Albiceleste next plays Colombia, who surprised Uruguay by defeating them on penalties, in the semi-final of the Copa America.
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