Lionel Messi was at his best as Argentina faced Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Copa America underway on Saturday night in Brazil. The maestro scored two goals to give his side a 2-0 lead before finding the back of the net in added time by converting a direct free kick – his 58th in a professional career which also put him past his big rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
After setting up teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Lautaro Martinez, Messi capped a memorable one-on-one performance when he cleverly passed the ball past the Ecuador keeper after spotting him jumping off the line and aiming the ball towards the second post.
The score may suggest it was a sail for Argentina, but as Messi pointed out after the game, it was the exact opposite. “The truth is it was a very difficult game. We knew the difficulty of playing against Ecuador, which works hard with fast, physically strong, young players, ”Messi said.
“It was a battle until we got the (second) goal,” he added.
Messi was the talk of the game, but he said his goal was to win the title. “I always say it: individual [moments] are secondary, we are here for something else, ”Messi said. “I want to commend the group for the work they do – we have been away from our families for several days. “
Argentina will face Colombia in the semi-final on Tuesday while 24 hours before, Brazil will face Peru in the first semi-final.
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