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• Marsch aiming to create something special with Canada

  Jesse Marsch believes Canada can build something special as they prepare for their Copa America quarter-final against Venezuela.

  Canada are playing in their maiden Copa America and finished second in Group A behind defending champions Argentina after a win over Peru and a draw with Chile following their opening-day defeat to Albiceleste.

  They now know that beating the Group B winners will set them up for a rematch against Argentina in the semi-finals if they win on Friday.

  Marsch says he knew it was going to be tough when he took the job earlier this year, but has praised the “positive” support that has spurred the team forward.

  "I was thinking, 'Why did I take this job with those three opponents [coming] up?'" Marsch said. "I knew when I took the job that the schedule was going to be very difficult, and by the way – put Peru and Chile in there as well – the first five opponents I knew were going to be very difficult.

  "But I thought that it would give us a chance to create really high standards for how we wanted to play and that these games would show the players that we need to uphold ourselves to very high standards. I felt that if we could execute, then we could have some success.

  "There's real excitement in Canada about the team and the way we've played. That comes with, I think, a real hunger to keep this thing moving forward."

  "I'll tell you: I'm glad I'm here, man. Because the people that I work with and the players that I work with, the things that we know that we can achieve together, the support that we have from inside the country, the support system for this entire national team is so positive.

  "So, I think it gives us a real chance to develop something and build something and be ready for a big tournament come 2026."

  Canada have done better than their 2026 World Cup co-hosts USA, who crashed out in the group stage after winning just one match in Group C.

  Asked about his home country's performance at the tournament, Marsch admitted he was disappointed by what he saw.

  "I'd like to say that I'm only focused on what we're doing here in Canada, but obviously, I'm paying attention to the U.S. men's national team as I always do, and like you, I'm sad," he added.

  "I'm disappointed with the performances, the lack of discipline. There are a lot of things that I think we've tried to embody about the game in the U.S., and we've always believed in this group of players."

• Lionel Messi left 'very angry' with penalty miss in Argentina shoot-out victory

  Lionel Messi was left "very angry" with his miss in Argentina's penalty shoot-out victory over Ecuador in the Copa America quarter-finals.

  La Albiceleste progressed to the semi-finals after a dramatic contest at the NRG Stadium in a game where Kevin Rodriguez's injury-time leveller ensured the contest would go the distance in a 1-1 draw after Lisandro Martinez's first-half opener.

  The legendary Messi was first to step up for his team but saw a dinked penalty hit the crossbar. Thankfully for the 37-year-old, Emiliano Martinez saved penalties from Angel Mena and Alan Minda as Argentina triumphed 4-2 in the shoot-out.

  Speaking after the game, Messi told reporters: "I was very angry, I was convinced that I would take it like that.

  "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."

  Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni was quick to absolve his talisman of any blame when addressing a press conference.

  "He played like the rest of the team, we are a team. This is a team, if the team played well, he played well. We have never separated the individual from the collective," he said.

  Messi missed Argentina's final group game against Peru through injury but Scaloni insists that did not have an impact on his performance, adding: "Leo had a good game, in the end, they also planned a game or system where when we had the ball, two defenders came to attack, so, this is a chess game. He has had seven days away, we didn't notice the inactivity mentioned in the question."

  Martinez was named Player of the Match and has now won all four of the shoot-outs he has been involved in with Argentina. The Aston Villa goalkeeper is adamant there is no luck involved with that statistic.

  "I work for that, I throw myself 500 times a day in training," Martinez said.

  "I try to be at my best level for the national team because the country deserves it, the people who spend their money to come and watch us."

   

• Argentina 1-1 Ecuador (aet, 4-2 pens): Emiliano Martinez shootout heroics spares Messi's blushes

  Emiliano Martinez was Argentina's penalty shootout hero once more as they edged out Ecuador to reach the Copa America semi-finals, despite Lionel Messi's failed Panenka attempt.

  The reigning champions survived a huge scare at NRG Stadium, where Kevin Rodriguez's stoppage-time equaliser cancelled out Lisandro Martinez's first-half header to take the last-eight tie the distance.

  It appeared La Albiceleste's title defence was in doubt when Messi, back in the side after missing the Peru match with a hamstring injury, chipped the first penalty against the crossbar.

  But Emiliano Martinez, who played starring roles from the spot during La Albiceleste's 2022 World Cup triumph, made saves to deny Angel Mena and Alan Minda, before Nicolas Otamendi struck the decisive kick for Lionel Scaloni's side.

  Felix Sanchez's Ecuador had not scored in a Copa America quarter-final since 1997, but they made the brighter start in Houston.

  Cristian Romero just about denied Moises Caicedo a shot on goal, before Emiliano Martinez came to Argentina's rescue as he blocked Jeremy Sarmiento's effort from a tight angle.

  However, the reigning champions took the lead in the 35th minute when Alexis Mac Allister flicked Messi's corner towards the far post, where the unmarked Lisandro Martinez nodded into an empty net.

  Ecuador were handed a gilt-edge opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot just after the hour mark, when Rodrigo De Paul was adjudged to have handled in the box.

  However, they could not capitalise as Enner Valencia struck Emiliano Martinez's right post with his spot-kick, despite sending the Argentina goalkeeper the wrong way. 

  But there was to be a dramatic late twist in stoppage time as Rodriguez glanced home John Yeboah's cross, with La Tricolor almost completing a sensational turnaround with Jordy Caicedo heading narrowly wide with the last kick of normal time.

  They landed the first blow of the shootout when Messi's attempted Panenka clipped the top of the crossbar, but it proved a false dawn as Emiliano Martinez took centre stage yet again to swing the shootout back in Argentina's favour, before they scraped over the line.

  Reigning champions scrape through by the skin of their teeth

  Argentina are the first side through to the last four, and their title defence remains on track, but only just.

  They broke the deadlock through Lisandro Martinez, who was in the right place to open his senior international account, while becoming the first Argentina defender to score in the Copa America since Victor Cuesta eight years ago.

  Emiliano Martinez looked set to earn a fourth clean sheet of this tournament, and become the second Argentina goalkeeper after Sergio Romero to reach that tally in separate editions, but Rodriguez had other ideas with his dramatic equaliser.

  Nevertheless, after Messi missed in yet another Copa America shootout - famously doing so in the 2016 final defeat to Chile - the goalkeeper dug his skipper out of a hole with two smart saves eventually proving the difference.

  Argentina hoodoo continues as Ecuador pay the penalty

  Ecuador knew they needed to rewrite history to achieve a positive result here. La Tricolor had never beaten Argentina in the Copa America, losing 11 and drawing five of their 16 previous attempts, while they had won just five of the 40 meetings overall.

  Despite conceding in the opening half for the first time in this tournament, they outshot their opponents (four to three) in the first 45 minutes, but the last of those efforts came in the 16th minute.

  Though they snatched a dramatic equaliser, Valencia's earlier penalty miss was a sign of things to come, as the wait for a first semi-final appearance since 1993 goes on.

  Nevertheless, Sanchez's side depart the United States having made history. Indeed, at just 17 years and 61 days old, rising star Kendry Paez became the youngest player to appear in a Copa America quarter-final.