“Has carried Messi for years”, “Without him they are just bang average” - Fans in awe of Argentina star after Copa America quarter-final win

Fans were full of praise for Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after he led Lionel Messi and his teammates to the Copa America semi-finals. The shot-stopper brought out his penalty-saving qualities in the resulting shootout against Ecuador, doing enough to push his side to the next round.

After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, Martinez had to provide the heroics he pulled off to help La Albiceleste win the World Cup back in 2022. It was much needed, as Lionel Messi missed the first penalty in the shootout, hitting the crossbar.

Martinez pulled off a brilliant save to stop Angel Mena from scoring Ecuador's first penalty. Julian Alvarez then scored for Argentina to put them ahead in the shootout. Martinez showed up once again, anticipating Alan Minda's effort and denying him to keep La Albiceleste in the lead.

Alexis Mac Allister scored to make it 2-0, and while John Yeboah and Jordy Caicedo both beat Emiliano Martinez, it was not enough to catch up. Despite their captain missing the first penalty, they won the shootout 4-2, and fans took to X to praise the goalkeeper for his quality:

"He’s carrying Messi but everyone is talking about the short guy," a fan posted.

"Martinez is the reason Argentina is ranked high. Without him they are just bang average," another fan added.

"Martinez has carried Messi for years," a fan said.

"Deserved, man is the definition of clutch," a fan opined.

"Might be the most clutch player ever," another fan praised.

"Emi Martinez may be the GREATEST penalty-saver I have seen in my lifetime," a fan gushed.

"HE SAVED ARGENTINA IN THE 2021 COPA AMERICA! HE SAVED ARGENTINA IN THE 2022 WORLD CUP! HE SAVED ARGENTINA IN THE 2024 COPA AMERICA! EMILIANO MARTINEZ IS THE MOST CLUTCH GOALKEEPER IN THE WORLD," an excited fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions:

---

Lionel Messi stifled as Ecuador force Argentina to penalties in Copa America quarter-final

Ecuador might be the ones going home, with Argentina heading into the semi-finals of the tournament, but they did a solid job in stifling the quality of the Albiceleste captain. He struggled to impact the game in any real way as they worked to shut him down regularly.

Notably, this was the first time the legendary playmaker has been held down to just 32 touches across 90 competitive minutes since 2011 (via The Athletic). However, it required teamwork from other players to get La Albiceleste through.

Lisandro Martinez scored their first goal from a corner kick, combining well with Alexis Mac Allister. Although they eventually conceded deep into injury time, Martinez was on hand to provide quality in the resulting shootout and keep their Copa America 2024 hopes alive.