Upset 0-1! Messi lost in Argentina, 2 red cards + controversial penalty, Martin speaks out

On September 10, the South American region of the World Cup qualifiers ushered in the final battle, and the Argentina team, who had already qualified in advance, challenged Ecuador away. What is somewhat surprising is that after Messi's absence, Argentina team lost 0-1 after two red cards and a controversial penalty.

And the gunpowder smell in normal competitions is far beyond expectations.

After pulling for nearly 30 minutes, the balance on the field was broken. Ecuador made a quick counterattack, and Enna Valencia made a one-on-one strike, and veteran Otamendi knocked him down behind him, which also led to him being sent off by the referee showing a red card! Argentina had to fight with 10 people for the remaining 60 minutes.

is not over yet, and the accident happened again in 5 minutes in stoppage time in the first half. Defender Taliafico made an elbow strike while defending in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick after watching VAR. Valencia achieved success overnight, and Argentina fell behind 0-1.

The second half started with only 5 minutes, and another foul occurred. Ecuadorian midfielder Kesédo was also sent off for a stampede. Now, the number of people on both sides has returned to a fair battle of 10 to 10.

It's a pity that even if the number of players is the same, the Argentina team lacks Messi can never find any sense on the offensive end. They shot 8 times in the game, but they didn't hit the goal range. After the game, goalkeeper Martin said that he felt that the penalty was controversial and that in his opinion, it should not be awarded. He said he was a little uncomfortable about the World Cup start and end.

And the price of failure in this game is far more than 3 points, Otamendi's red card means he will miss the first group stage of the 2026 World Cup, which is a serious blow to Argentina's defense. And this game was the first time that it lost to Ecuador since 2015.

Of course, Martin also said that he played many games behind Otamendi and won many honors together.

"If this is his last World Cup qualifier, I can only thank him, I love him very much."