Despite Messi penalty miss, Argentina beat Ecuador in Copa America thriller

Lionel Messi relied on his Argentine teammates to save him, and the world champions delivered for their all-time captain. 

Messi missed a penalty kick in a shootout, but Argentina defeated Ecuador 1-1 (4-2 on penalty kicks) in their Copa America quarterfinal encounter Thursday night in front of 69,456 fans at NRG Stadium in Houston to progress to the semifinal.

Messi went up with the ball in his palm and lined up Argentina’s first kick, setting the tone and he missed it.

His chip shot down the middle was perfect, but it tipped the crossbar and sailed over the goal.

Messi stated he attempted the kick in that manner after talking with Argentina’s two goalkeepers.

“A lot of anger, a lot of anger,” Messi said of his penalty miss. “I just wanted to touch it, and it went high.”

Messi’s famous left foot has a slightly off touch. He wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, and he needed to be in the moment.

Perhaps a side effect of missing a game and rehabbing a right groin/adductor injury in the last nine days.

Messi squandered an opportunity to provide another epic moment and propel Messi Mania to new heights for his following of Argentine fans and followers across the world.

However, Messi’s error did not deter the Argentine national team, the defending Copa America 2021 and World Cup 2022 champions.

They’ve been in far more difficult situations before, and they delivered for Messi. After all, Messi was the reason Argentina led for so long before losing.

Argentina defeated Ecuador with goals from Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Gonzalo Montiel, and Nicolás Otamendi in the penalty round.  Argentina’s goalkeeper, Dibu Martinez, led the celebrations.

The Argentinians celebrated with music and dancing, while Ecuador conceded defeat after a spectacular comeback.

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Argentina will face the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Venezuela and Canada on July 9.

“The team feels blind confidence in their goalkeeper, and for us, it is fundamental. Even if Leo failed, the team knew that something positive was going to happen,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said of the victory.

Ecuador’s Kevin Rodríguez scored a header in stoppage time to draw the match in the 91st minute.

In the penalty shootout, John Yeboah and Jordy Caicedo scored, but Caicedo missed a late shot.

Ecuador’s Enner Valencia had a wonderful opportunity to equalise the game in the 62nd minute, as his penalty kick ricocheted against the left post.

“Our players gave it their all,” Ecuador coach Felix Sanchez said. “We got the equaliser, but unfortunately we were eliminated in the shootout.”

Before the game-tying goal, it appeared that Argentina would easily advance to the semifinals.

Messi’s kick from the right side was short off the goal area, but Alexis MacAllister used his head to bounce the ball backwards to Martínez, who scored.

The Argentinian missed his only shot of the game in the second half with his right boot.

He has yet to score in three Copa America games, but he did provide an assist in Argentina’s first encounter.

During the match, he also set a Copa America record for the most minutes played in the competition.

Only two games remain before Messi and Argentina can lift another trophy and add another championship to their reigning soccer dynasty.

Despite Messi penalty miss, Argentina beat Ecuador in Copa America thriller

Ten Hag signs new deal with Manchester United

Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension with Manchester United, keeping him at Old Trafford until 2026, the club announced on Thursday.

Speculation about Ten Hag’s future arose following a disappointing 2023/24 Premier League season. However, he led the team to FA Cup victory against Manchester City, which boosted his standing.

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Last month, British media widely reported that a review by the club’s new part-owner, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, would confirm Ten Hag’s continued tenure.

“Erik ten Hag has extended his contract as Manchester United men’s first-team manager until June 2026,” Manchester United stated.

Ten Hag signs new deal with Manchester United

Euro 2024: Ronaldo, Mbappe face off as Portugal, France clash

France and Portugal continue their European Championship rivalry on Friday in a quarter-final match that will centre almost entirely on the two leaders, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The last-eight match in Hamburg pits two of the most anticipated nations for Euro 2024 against two teams that have yet to fully impress in Germany.

Despite the fact that none of their players have scored a goal in open play, France has advanced to the sixth quarterfinal in the previous seven major events.

Les Bleus have scored only three goals in four games, one of which was a penalty by Mbappe and the other two coming from their own goals, including Jan Vertonghen’s, which helped them defeat Belgium 1-0 in the last 16.

Mbappe has been hampered by a fractured nose sustained in France’s opening encounter against Austria, forcing him to miss the goalless draw with the Netherlands.

He has not been at his best since his return, and the penalty he converted against Poland is his only goal in seven appearances at the Euros.

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“I don’t think any of us have made enough of the fact that he broke his nose. It is not an excuse, but he was traumatised by the collision,” France assistant coach Guy Stephan said on Wednesday.

“It is not easy to play with a mask on, as he said. He had a bit of an exhausting end to the season. But Kylian is still Kylian. He has scored almost a goal a game for us since 2021.”

The other side of the coin for France is that they have only conceded one goal, a penalty by Poland’s Robert Lewandowski.

Meanwhile, Portugal advanced to this stage by defeating Slovenia in a penalty shootout following a goalless 120 minutes.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa ended up being their hero, saving all three of Slovenia’s penalty attempts, but the game will also be remembered for Ronaldo’s tears when his chance was saved in extra time.

Portugal came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening match and then dominated Turkey 3-0, so they have had fewer scoring troubles than France.

However, in their most recent group game, they were defeated 2-0 by Georgia, despite having a significantly different team.

This came after they had already secured first place in their group, but it means they have now gone more than four hours without finding the net.

Portugal must now aim to break through a resolute French defence, while Didier Deschamps, the coach of the 2022 World Cup runners-up, must find a substitute in his midfield for the suspended Adrien Rabiot.

Three years ago, both teams clashed in the group stage of the last Euros, with Portugal drawing 2-2 thanks to two penalties from Ronaldo.

Euro 2024: Ronaldo, Mbappe face off as Portugal, France clash