Lionel Messi has explained why he opted for a Panenka penalty in Argentina’s Copa America quarter-final, with said effort clipping the crossbar.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was back at Lionel Scaloni’s disposal for a last-eight encounter with Ecuador.
He recovered from injury in time to play the full 90 minutes of that contest, with there no extra-time in the 2024 Copa.
Messi stepped up first in the shootout, at the end of a dramatic 1-1 draw that saw Ecuador equalise in stoppage-time, but dinked his tame effort onto the frame of the goal.
Angry Messi
The Inter Miami superstar told reporters afterwards: “I was very angry.
“I was convinced that I would take it like that.
“Also, I had spoken with Dibu (Martinez), with (Geronimo) Rulli, I had taken a couple of penalties.
“I hadn’t practised, but I spoke with them.
“I had been taking several cross-shots, in fact the goalkeeper dived for a cross-shot, I tried to touch it and it went high.”
Messi had been nursing a muscle complaint in the build-up to the game and admits that fitness concerns were playing on his mind before a ball was kicked.
He added on spending the week “trying to get rid of the discomfort I had, the pain, training little by little, feeling a little scared, letting go little by little.
“In the last training sessions I felt better and I thought I could be there.
“I felt fine, I had no discomfort, nothing.
“There is always a bit of psychological fear of having an injury or discomfort, but at a muscular level I had nothing.
“(Scaloni) asked me if I was ready to play and I said yes.”
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Argentina are now into the semi-finals, as their defence of a prestigious continental crown continues.
Emi Martinez was once again their hero in a penalty shootout – as he has been so often down the years – and a meeting with either Venezuela or Canada is next on the agenda for them.
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