Argentina Wins Copa America Quarterfinal Against Ecuador

Penalty Shootout Victory Takes Defending Champions to Semifinals

Defending Copa America champion Argentina survived a late equalizer from Ecuador to win 4-2 on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at the NRG Stadium in Houston.

Lionel Messi, who had scored Argentina's only goal in regulation time from a corner kick in the 4th minute, missed his penalty in the shootout. But Emiliano Martinez made two saves in the shootout, including one on Ecuador's Enner Valencia to seal the victory.

Argentina will now face the winner of the quarterfinal between Uruguay and Colombia in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Conclusion

Argentina's victory was a hard-fought one, but they showed their resilience and determination to retain their Copa America title. Messi may have missed his penalty, but he was still a key figure in the win, setting up the winning goal in the shootout. Argentina will now be confident heading into the semifinals, where they will face another tough test.