Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni warned against obsessing over Lionel Messi's missed penalty after his team beat Ecuador at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, to secure a place in the Copa America semi-finals.
The Albiceleste The team led 1-0 for most of the match before a 91st-minute Kevin Rodriguez goal forced a penalty shootout. Messi was the first to step up, but his chipped attempt hit the crossbar and put his team's hopes of advancing in serious jeopardy.
However, goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez made two great saves to make up for the mistake and propel the team into the next round.
“He [Messi] “We played like the rest of the team, we are a team. This is a team, if the team played well, he played well. We have never separated the individual from the collective,” said Scaloni in his post-match press conference.
Messi finished the match with 32 touches, of which only one was inside the opposition box. Asked if Messi's absence through injury during the final group game affected his performance, Scaloni replied: “No.
“Leo played a good game, and in the end he also set up a game or system in which when we had the ball, two defenders would come out to attack, so this is a game of chess. He has been out for seven days, we did not notice the inactivity mentioned in the question.”
Scaloni also confirmed that the injury did not affect Messi's performance.
“He finished well, the last time we asked him with five or six minutes left in the match he said he felt fine.”
Argentina now prepares for a semi-final against Canada or Venezuela at MetLife in New Jersey on July 9.
“This team has managed it as always, these types of competitions are day to day and now we are thinking about the next game and not beyond,” said Messi in the mixed zone after the match.
