Lionel Messi is coming into his own just when Argentina require as they begin the business phase of the 2021 Copa América in a quarter-final clash against Ecuador this Saturday. The Group A winners will take on the lowest-ranked nation to qualify for the last eight, with all eyes on La Albiceleste as the knockout action gets underway in Brazil.
What TV Channel is Argentina-Ecuador on?
Will Messi’s magic once again prove spellbinding against Ecuador? Tune into Saturday’s clash via FS1, TUDN or Univision from 9 p.m. ET to find out. You can live stream 2021 Copa América matches on fuboTV.
How to Watch Argentina vs. Ecuador
When: Saturday, July 3
Where: Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV Info: FS1, TUDN, Univision
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
One goal and one assist was perhaps less than Argentina fans expected from their captain across his first three games at this summer’s Copa, but Messi was duping even his teammates in the early stages, it seems. It took the six-time Ballon d’Or-winner less than 45 minutes to come up with two goals and an assist in their 4-1 win over Bolivia on Monday, firing him to the top of the Copa scoring charts on three goals overall:
Not only that, but taking to the pitch against Bolivia meant Messi earned his 148th international cap and set a new record for Argentina appearances, a feat previously held by Javier Mascherano (147):
🧢Most caps for Argentina as of last night:
1⃣LIONEL MESSI – 148🔼
2⃣Javier Mascherano -147🔽
3⃣Javier Zanetti – 143
4⃣Roberto Ayala – 114
5⃣Angel Di María – 108Just a brace and an assist to mark the occasion.#LLL
🧡🇪🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/mZOUp0SN2t— La Liga Lowdown 🧡🇪🇸⚽️ (@LaLigaLowdown) June 29, 2021
Lionel Scaloni’s side are unbeaten in 17 ahead of their meeting with Ecuador and have won 10 of those, a run that dates back to the previous Copa tournament in 2019. La Tri have got the better of their continental rivals just once in their last nine encounters, which includes defeats in their last three consecutive meetings.
Ecuador’s Group B campaign might have led to a significantly higher finish than fourth were Gustavo Alfaro’s men merely more capable of holding onto a lead. Twice during the first round they scored twice against opponents—Venezuela and Peru—only to drop points in the end, and Santos Laguna forward Ayrton Preciado leads their scoring with two to his name:
Ayrton Preciado makes it ✌️
He scores his second goal of the tournament and doubles Ecuador's lead just before the half 😤
(sponsored by @Verizon) pic.twitter.com/ZS0QtRGOmT
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 23, 2021
A 1-1 draw against Brazil sealed their place in the knockout stages, making them the only team to take a point off the Copa hosts, even if it was against a severely weakened Selecao. That result will give confidence to a team that now stares down what is largely accepted to be the second best outfit in attendance, though Ecuador’s chances at the Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico look slim nonetheless.
