HOUSTON, July 4 (Xinhua) — Emiliano Martinez saved two spot kicks as defending champions Argentina defeated Ecuador on penalties to advance to the Copa America semifinals on Thursday.

Lisandro Martinez put Argentina ahead by nodding home just after the half-hour and the Albiceleste looked on course for victory before Kevin Rodriguez equalized in second-half stoppage time.

With no extra-time, the game went straight to penalties and Argentina looked crestfallen when Lionel Messi’s opening attempt bounced off the top side of the crossbar.

But Martinez denied Angel Mena and Alan Minda before Nicolas Otamendi converted the decisive spot kick as Lionel Scaloni’s men prevailed 4-2 in the shootout.

Argentina will now meet the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Canada and Venezuela for a place in the final.

“I wasn’t ready to go home,” Emiliano Martinez said afterward. “The truth is that it was a really difficult game. We knew that Ecuador was one of the toughest teams in the competition. They’re a young team that defends well and fights until the end.”

Ecuador began brightly at NRG Stadium and Angel Preciado shot over when he ought to have done better after smart play from Enner Valencia.

Argentina took the lead in the 35th minute when Alexis Mac Allister flicked on Lionel Messi’s corner before an unmarked Lisandro Martinez headed home at the far post.

Ecuador were handed a penalty on the hour after Rodrigo de Paul was deemed to have handled the ball inside the area. But Valencia squandered the chance to equalize by sending his spot-kick crashing off the left post.

Argentina began to push forward with more purpose and Messi forced a smart save from goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez after combining with De Paul.

Lisandro Martinez had an attempt blocked and saw another shot sail wide as the Albiceleste continued to search for a second goal.

But the momentum swung again and Jordy Caicedo’s left-footed effort went narrowly wide before Rodriguez stunned the reigning world champions by breaching Martinez’s goal for the first time this tournament with a header into the bottom left corner following John Yeboah’s cross.

Source(s): Xinhua

SANTA CLARA, July 2 (Xinhua) — Daniel Munoz canceled out an early Raphinha strike as Colombia and Brazil drew 1-1 in their final Copa America group stage match here on Tuesday.

Raphinha put Brazil ahead with a sumptuous free-kick before Munoz slotted home from close range on the stroke of halftime.

The result ensured Colombia finished top of Group D with seven points from three games, two points ahead of second-placed Brazil.

Both teams will play their quarterfinal matches on Saturday, with the Cafeteros facing Panama in Phoenix and Brazil confronting Uruguay in Las Vegas.

“We had our chances to win, and it’s disappointing that we didn’t, but even so, it’s mission accomplished so far,” Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez said. “We have big plans, and we’re not going to be satisfied just by reaching this stage. We want more.”

The result ended Colombia’s winning streak that had extended to 10 matches. But the Cafeteros remain unbeaten in their last 26 outings dating back to early 2022.

Brazil, meanwhile, looked far from the well-oiled machine that football fans are accustomed to.

Raphinha admitted the five-time world champions are still a work in progress under manager Dorival Junior, who took charge in January following a disastrous run of results last year.

“We are still finding our way but I’m sure we are going to click soon,” the Barcelona winger said.

“To win major tournaments, you have to overcome tough challenges like tonight. We couldn’t get the win but we had our chances. We did what was required to progress and now we have to be prepared for what’s coming.”

It took just 12 minutes for Brazil to take the lead at Levi’s Stadium as Raphinha curled a 25-yard free-kick into the top-right corner.

Colombia appeared to equalize shortly after when Sanchez headed in after James Rodriguez’s inch-perfect free-kick. But the goal was ruled out for offside after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR).

The game was played at a frenetic pace with both sides attacking relentlessly. Vinicius Junior went down in the area after a clumsy challenge from Daniel Munoz, but referee Jesus Valenzuela said there was no penalty after another VAR review.

Munoz was proving a thorn in Brazil’s side and he put his side on level terms in the 47th minute when he latched onto Jhon Cordoba’s pass and fired a first-time effort past goalkeeper Alisson.

Colombia continued dictating terms after halftime and Brazil were fortunate that attempts from Cordoba and Jorge Carrascal were directed straight at Alisson.

Rafael Borre, a 76th-minute substitute for Jhon Cordoba, should have given Colombia the lead but could only manage to hammer his attempt over the bar from point-blank range with Alisson nowhere in sight.

Brazil also narrowly missed a chance to go ahead when Andreas Pereira’s long-range effort was tipped over by Vargas in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Source(s): Xinhua

BERLIN, July 2 (Xinhua) — Merih Demiral’s double strike was enough for Türkiye to eliminate stubborn Austria 2-1 in a Euro 2024 round of 16 match at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena on Tuesday.

The Turks had a fairy tale start to the clash, scoring the fastest goal in the knockout stages of the Euro tournament as Austria couldn’t clear the ball following a corner, allowing Demiral to tap home the opener just 57 seconds into the game.

Austria responded with furious attacks, but Christoph Baumgartner missed two chances to restore parity. The Austrians struggled to create more chances against Türkiye’s well-organized defense and failed to produce clear-cut opportunities before the break. Meanwhile, Vincenzo Montella’s side remained dangerous, with Demiral heading over the target following another corner kick.

After the restart, Austria came out with momentum and kept Türkiye’s defense busy. However, Marco Arnautovic couldn’t beat goalkeeper Mert Gunok, and Konrad Laimer pulled wide from a promising position moments later.

Despite Austria’s pressure, it was Montella’s side that scored against the flow of the game. Demiral nodded home his second goal from a corner, making it two for Türkiye.

Austria managed to answer and halve the deficit through substitute Michael Gregoritsch, who sparked hopes after drilling a flicked-on corner into the roof of the net with plenty of time left to play.

Austria went in search of the equalizer, throwing every man forward, while Türkiye kept all their men behind the ball, waiting for counterattack opportunities. Baris Yilmaz had the golden chance to finish off one of those counterattacks but missed the target from inside the box with only goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to beat.

Rangnick’s side nearly restored parity in the dying seconds of the match, but Gunok denied Baumgartner’s close-range header with a one-handed parry on the goal line.

With this result, Türkiye advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008, where they will face the Netherlands at Berlin’s Olympia Stadium on Saturday.

“We didn’t have the necessary luck, and I believe if the game had gone to extra time, we would have won. We had time to score an equalizer. We didn’t make enough of our own chances, and we didn’t defend their set pieces well enough,” said Austria coach Rangnick.

Source(s): Xinhua