For a moment, it looked like Ecuador took the game away from Argentina. As if Ecuador’s Kevin Rodriguez’s late equalizer was not enough, Argentina saw Lionel Messi miss their first penalty kick in the decisive shootout. But, the tide turned and Argentina eventually made it to the Copa America semi-final. Even though it was quite unusual for Messi to try a cheeky Panenka shot from the spot, he is now shocked and angry that he failed to find the net. Per Messi, it was a well-thought-out decision to go for the unorthodox penalty kick.

Lionel Messi lifted the lid on his failed Panenka kick in a post-game interview. “I was very angry because I was convinced to take it that way if the opportunity arose. I had talked with Dibu and Rulli in advance,” said Messi, referring to the two Argentina goalies- Emiliano Martinez and Geronimo Rulli. Adding to Messi’s shock, he nearly scored with his cheeky shot, as it hit the crossbar and then went out of goal. Speaking of Panenka shots that hit a crossbar, one cannot forget Zinedine Zidane’s 2006 World Cup Final goal that came off the crossbar.

Lionel Messi would have thought he could share the same fate as Zidane. Moreover, it’s not the first Messi has attempted Panenka kicks, and he has found success in previous games. Anyhow, Martinez, who okayed La Pulga’s decision to go for a Panenka, immediately redeemed the captain, by saving Ecuador’s back-to-back shots. After doing his job perfectly, Martinez defended his captain saying it is a common error to miss penalty kicks.

Martinez runs to Lionel Messi’s defense after saving Argentina from Copa exit

When Lionel Messi missed from the spot, Emiliano Martinez decided that the game was on his shoulders. In a post-game interview, the Aston Villa #1 said he was not ready to go home. He added that the 2022 World Champions deserve to continue their defense of the Copa America title. Thereafter, Martinez hinted that there is not much to criticize about Leo Messi’s penalty miss. “Leo Messi will always be the best in the world. Anyone can miss a penalty,” said Martinez.

Messi’s penalty miss coincidentally came a few days after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the UEFA Euro against Slovenia. Ronaldo, however, later scored when the game went into a shootout. But then again, it was the Portugal goalie Diogo Costa who powered the team’s win with three back-to-back saves. So fans have quite a lot to process as two of the game’s greatest missed penalties in the same week and depended on their goalies to carry the game forward.