Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick for Argentina against Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America, after he executed it in a panenka style and it hit the crossbar.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and the two teams went to penalty kicks, where Messi missed, but Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez excelled and led his country to qualify with a 4-1 win.
Messi spoke after the match about the miss and said, “I feel angry because I was really convinced to take the penalty kick in this way. I was playing it in an arc, but this time it escaped me.”
He also added, “He talked with Martinez and Rulli about executing it this way, but in the past period I was shooting kicks casually and did not practice shooting in an arc, so the ball went high.”
As for Emiliano Martinez’s brilliance, he said, “Before the match, I was joking and telling the players that if we reach penalty kicks, we have to remain calm because Depo loves these moments. I knew that he is always present and loves these moments. He is truly huge when he is in goal.”
He concluded, answering a question about his injury, “I did not feel any discomfort, but there was a little psychological fear of compensating for the injury again, but on the muscular level I did not suffer from anything.”
It remains to be noted that Argentina will meet the winner of the Venezuela-Canada match in the 2024 Copa America semi-finals next week.
