Argentina Advances to Copa América Semifinals After Dramatic Win Over Ecuador

Lisandro Martinez opened the scoring for Argentina in the first half, but Ecuador equalized late in the second half, forcing the match into a shootout following a 1-1 deadlock. Emiliano Martinez emerged as the hero of the evening, saving two of Ecuador's spot kicks after Messi faltered with his penalty attempt. Nonetheless, Messi's teammates converted all four subsequent penalties to secure the win and a berth in the Copa semifinals.

Messi had missed Argentina's third group stage encounter against Peru due to an injury sustained during their Group A victory over Chile, the team's second game of the tournament. Despite being labeled as day-to-day earlier, Messi returned to training before the quarterfinal clash. Head coach Lionel Scaloni stated on Wednesday that Messi's participation hinged on his performance in training the night before the match.

Scaloni remarked in a pre-practice press conference, "We will train in a couple of hours, and then we will decide. One more day is always better; yesterday we had good sensations, and today we will decide. Based on today's answer [In training], we will decide if Messi plays."

Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez, having previously played together, played pivotal roles in a 1-0 victory against Ecuador in a pre-Copa America friendly on June 9 while Messi observed from the sidelines.

Argentina topped Group A by winning all three matches without conceding a goal.

The victor of the quarterfinal clash is set to progress to the semifinal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, scheduled for July 9.