Emiliano Martinez said he was “not ready to go home” after producing two key penalty saves which earned Argentina a place in the Copa America semi-finals.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper saved from Ecuador’s Angel Mena and Alan Minda in a 4-2 penalty shootout win after Lionel Messi had missed Argentina’s first penalty. The match ended as a 1-1 draw in normal time.
“I wasn’t ready to go home,” said Martinez, who was full of praise for Ecuador.
“This team deserved to advance. They complicated us a lot. They played a great match, very physical. We knew they were one of the top rivals in Copa America.”
Lisandro Martinez headed the defending champions ahead midway through the first half before Kevin Rodriguez equalised in the first minute of stoppage time.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted he “did not enjoy the win”.
“Our goalkeeper came up clutch,” he said. “We have reached the semis and given the great level of performance of every national team, I think it’s a great achievement.”
Scaloni said he felt Messi, who missed the previous match due to a leg injury, “finished the match well”.
Ecuador coach Felix Sanchez Bas said the performance had shown his team “can compete against any opponent”.
“The quarter-finals had us playing against the most difficult opponent and I thought we delivered well,” he said.
